Two Sides of One Coin
by AppleCiderr
Summary: After sacrificing himself during Infinity War, Tony finds himself in the body of Jamie, a young boy who attempted suicide because of a life filled with hate and bullying, and died in Tony's body. Deciding he owes it to himself and the previous owner of the body, Tony decides he will no longer be a pushover, nobody will walk all over him. Not even the Avengers.
1. Chapter 1

_**This story is based off the wonderful manwha written by the talented Haribo, At the End of the Road. Please go read it and support the author!**_

 _ **You can read a bunch of the beginning chapters for free here: en/comic/attheend**_

 _ **Expect the first few chapters to follow the plot, but it will deviate soon ^_^**_

 _ **Enjoy~**_

* * *

The teenager was slammed into the wall again, a fist slamming into his stomach. This caused him to lurch forward and cough violently, falling to his knees. The man in front of him grabbed his face, and whispered darkly into his ear. The group of people behind him laughed. He then slammed his head against the wall before walking away. The group moved forward to take his place, as they pelted his body with punches, kicks, and spit. The teenager didn't try and fight anymore, he had long since given up.

Once they were gone, the teenager put his torn clothing back on the best he could, and left the school grounds. He could have just headed home, but he decided that he wouldn't be going back. In fact, soon he wouldn't be doing anything anymore.

He bumped into several people along the way, but never stopped, he had one goal in mind and one goal only. The student walked to a bridge, on the route back to school. The sky had gone dark long ago. He swung his lanky legs over the railing, and stood on the edge of the bridge.

Looking down for a second, eyes empty of emotion, he thought about his life. Then, with no regrets, he let go. He fell, fallings towards the street, as an oncoming truck screeched to try and stop. But it still slammed into his falling body. The teenager's world faded around him, as he gave one, final thought.

 _I want to die.._

* * *

On the other side of the world, the battle of the century was happening. The Avengers against Thanos. The battle was painful, hard, and long. Nobody knew how much farther they could go on..

Thanos was powering another attack, as the magical violence swirled around them. Tony saw who he was aiming for. For Steve.. In that moment, he made a split second decision. He flew forward, grabbing as Thanos' gauntlet and pushing it up. The magic gauntlet protected the user, but not Tony. He screamed, his suit imploding around him as he flew down.

His body was in extreme pain, limbs felt like they were missing. Tony wheezed out, seeing the blurry faces of the people around him. They were screaming, begging. Steve in particular, tears streaming down his face as he realized Tony had saved him.

Taking a deep breath, Tony wheezed out,"Don't waste it.. Don't waste this chance.." His vision began to fade, noises sounded like they were underwater.

Suddenly, another blast flew forwards, and Tony's world shut down around him. In those final moments, Tony felt like he was floating in the darkness. Just before everything finally faded away, one more sad, desperate, and regretful thought flew through his mind.

 _I'm sacrificing myself for the greater good.._

 _But I still want to live.._

* * *

The next thing Tony knew, his vision came back. He saw the blurry form of.. An IV? His eyes snapped open completely. He sat up quickly, looking around him. The blanket was green, there were plastic borders on the bed, he was wearing pajama-like clothing that had a blue and white vertical pattern, sun was shining despite the blue curtains, and all the walls were white. _I'm in a hospital?_

Tony frowned, looking down at his suddenly very pale hands in confusion, one clutching at the. He brought one hand closer to his face, flexing it slowly. I'm alive? He thought in shock. How am I alive? My body, I was torn apart..

He turned away, no longer facing the window or looking at his hands. Turning towards the nightstand, Tony saw a mirror. But the person looking back at him in the mirror.. It wasn't him.

The person in the mirror had messy red hair that fell into their freckled face. In the long hair was a spike of white hair right near the front bangs. He took the pale hand, lifting the messy bangs and looking at the face closer. The face had one blue eye, and one brown eye. The lips were soft, and slightly feminine looking. The nose was (described), and the entire pale face was covered in freckles.

Tony let out a panicked noise, too shocked to realize how different the voice sounded. He slapped his hands against the cheeks, running his hands through the hair, and tugging at the hair. He turned to look next to him, but there was no one else there, so he turned and looked back at the mirror in confusion.

Confusion beginning to boil and overflow, he waved his hands around, trying to see if what he was seeing was real. He brought the hands to his cheeks again, eyes wide with confusion. _What's going on?! What is this?! Who are you?!_

Tony threw the blanket down, forcing himself on his shaky feet. He then stumbled, crying out as he flopped to the ground. He wheezed, forcing himself up again and running to the door against the wall. Sliding it open, he found a small bathroom. The mirror in it showed the same person, but it wasn't Tony. _No, no, no, what's going on?! It can't be! It's impossible!_

Tony was finally realized he was panicking, and forced himself to take several deep breaths. He calmed down, and looked at himself again. He ran a pale hand through the hair. _Is this a dream? But this feels so real?!_ His heart began to speed up again, but he quickly clutched at the pajamas and took more deep breaths.

Unable to look at the strange, unfamiliar face anymore, he left the room he tried to think of what could have happened after that explosion. But nothing came to mind, nothing about how he was alive, how he survived, how he had all his limbs still.

Tony felt a sudden creeping sadness crawl through him. His arms hugged his suddenly very skinny body, as he choked out a sob. He slid down the wall, knees coming up to his chest and crossing his pale feet, sobbing into his knees. It hurt so bad, he didn't understand.. He hated this. He didn't know what to do..

Before he could fall into a bigger panic, the bigger door slid open. In the doorway stood two people, one looked to be a doctor. The other person was a man with blue eyes, and brown hair, wearing a black trench coat over black suit pants, a white dress shirt, and a red tie. His eyes were wide as he stared at Tony, whispering something Tony couldn't hear, and running over to him.

He pulled the panicking man into a hug, causing Tony to panic. It had been so long since he'd been touched without being hurt, he couldn't help but panic. "Ah! L-let go!" He cried out in the unfamiliar voice,"Let me go! Where am I?! Who are you?!"

The man pulled away, and Tony scrambled back against the wall. The man looked broken, shattered, because of what Tony said. "You don't.. You don't remember me?" He asked, though his voice was hard to hear for Tony. But slowly, he shook his head to the question. "I don't know who you are.."

The man gasped again, his hand going to his mouth, as tears began to fall down his face. "Oh, son.." He whispered,"I'm so sorry.."

It was in that moment, Tony realized what was going on. He was in someone else's body, in someone else's life. This person, it was this body's father..

But if he was in this body.. Did that mean the other person was in his?!

Did that mean that they were dead..?

Then.. Then what was Tony supposed to do now?!

* * *

"Three months?" Tony whispered in shock. He was now sitting on a stool, facing the doctor in his office. The father was standing next to Tony, his hand clutching his tie nervously. The doctor had just explained that Tony had been asleep for three months, but it didn't feel like that to him.

Tony felt like one minute he had been fighting Thanos, then the next minute he was in this body. It made him wonder if everyone was okay, if they had won the fight. Since he was still alive, he guessed they had. But he couldn't check yet.

The doctor nodded, and softly responded,"It must be hard to believe, but you've been unconscious for three months since February. When you were first brought in, you had no brain activity at all. But right when we were about to pronounce you dead, you began breathing again. Brain damage was minimal, but it was almost like you refused to wake up."

Tony's eyes were wide as he listened, slowly nodding. The doctor then pulled up his clipboard. "I understand that you don't recognize your father when you first saw him," He began, looking at Tony through his glasses. "But where exactly do your memories end? Tell me what you _do_ remember."

Tony looked down at his lap, squeezing the pajama pants between the pale hands. "I don't remember anything," He sighed,"It's all blank, I don't remember anything.. I don't even remember my name.."

The man next to him gasped out in what Tony guessed was horror and sadness, and seemed to be struggling to hold in his tears. Tony squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the flaming pain squeezing at his heart. I feel like I'm stealing your son, I'm so sorry.. But I don't know how to fix this..

"The symptoms seem very severe case of retrograde amnesia, probably because of the trauma from that truck accident," The doctor explained, beginning to write something down.

"No!" The father exclaimed,"It- It can't be! He's been through so much, it's just too cruel. I don't want Jamie to suffer anymore.. Tell me it isn't true!"

The doctor sighed, placing his pen down. "I'm not here to sugar coat things, sir, I'm here to state the facts. There is only a small chance he may regain his memories, all you can do is be there for Jamie and be patient and supportive. Don't rush him, don't expect him to remember everything instantly, it will only confuse him even more. All you can do is be there for him, don't treat him any different, he's still family. He may be able to remember," The doctor said.

The man weakly nodded, wiping his eyes. The doctor then took Tony back, doing a few tests on his body. All the while, Tony felt like he was in a daze, unsure of what he could say.

When he returned to the room, he saw the man from before pacing the room. There was a suitcase on the hospital bed filled with a few things Tony could only guess was brought to Jamie while he was in the hospital. The man then noticed Tony at the door, freezing up, before he wiped his eyes furiously.

Tony felt a blush creep up his system, as he stared back. One could feel the suffocating tension in the room. What do I say in this situation? I've never had someone care about me like a father.. But I'm not this person's son.. Tony almost growled, clenching his fists. I feel so helpless!

"Jamie?" The man's voice called out, jerking Tony from his thoughts. "Do you.. Really not remember me?"

Tony wanted to cry, seeing the pain in the man's eyes. He wished he could say yes, that he remembered. But to lie to this man, and possibly say the wrong thing. No, he couldn't do that. So instead he shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry.. I don't," He admitted, before quickly declaring,"I want to! I really do! I'm sorry.. I'm sorry I can't.. I want to so bad but I-"

Suddenly, the man yanked Tony into another hug. Tony tensed up in surprise, but slowly melted into the touch. "It's okay Jamie," He said calmly,"You're awake, you're alive. That's all I need, okay? I wouldn't be able to handle losing you after losing your mother. Just having you here, that's all I want for now."

The man pulled away, his blue eyes filled with sadness, but still seeming happy. "Come on, I'll take us home, and then I'll answer any questions you have," He promised.

That's how Tony found himself, wearing a blue long sleeved shirt and black jeans. He was staring at his palms as Jamie's father drove them home, the world around him seemed blurred. His mind was jumbled, he seemed to be thinking of everything. What were the avengers doing? How did he get home? Did his body die? Would he ever find out?

But there was one, singular question that rose above all others..

 _What do I do now?_


	2. Chapter 2

They continued down the road for a long while, an awkward silence between them. Jamie's father simply looked like he didn't know what to say, his eyes flicking towards Tony every now and then with concern before they turned back towards the road. A few times he took a breath, as if he was about to speak, but he never got any farther than that.

At least he was trying though.. Tony wasn't sure what he _could_ say. He was worried that any word spoken may cause an explosion of emotion he wasn't ready for, or that he may say something he didn't mean to. The genius didn't know what to do. He switched bodies, he was living this kid's life while the real Jamie is probably dead. What in the world could he say to this man?!

Releasing an awkward sigh, he turned to look out the window. Outside, buildings were started to rise up around them. From skyscrapers to smaller restaurants. His intelligent, mismatched eyes examined everything around him, looking for some semblance of peace in the sudden chaos his mind was drowning in. But he would not find any.

He looked at the signs around them, and noticed something.. The signs weren't in English.. He made a confused look, squinting his eyes. "What.. Language is that?" He asked, a strange feeling of dread filling his stomach.

Jamie's father seemed to relax at the break of tension, and then gave a weak smile. "It's the language we're speaking, Jamie. We're in Japan," He explained.

"Japan?" Tony queried,"Why are we in Japan?"

The older man gave a pained look at the fact that Tony didn't remember. Tony felt guilty, even though there was really no possible way for him to remember something he had never experienced.

"I teach English at one of the universities, so we moved here when you were little," He explained,"We've been here ever since."

The car began to slow to a stop against a curb. Meanwhile, Tony frowned, trying to take everything in. Not only was he in a completely different body, he was far from America. How would he get back to the Avengers? Would they believe him if he claimed he was Tony Stark? What if-

"I know it's a lot to take in.." Jamie's father began, his gentle eyes now looking at Tony,"But I want you to know, I'll be there for you the whole way. Whether or not you remember me, you're still my son, nothing could change that."

Tony felt something break in him. _That's not true though.. I'm not your son.. I'm so sorry.._ He thought, something wet beginning to slide down his cheeks. 

Desperate for comfort, he found himself leaning forward. The older man reacted instantly, hugging Tony tightly and letting him sob. His father had never hugged him before.. This was unlike anything Tony ever felt.. It was a warm and loving, feelings Tony had long since forgotten the feeling of. All of his concerns faded away for a moment, as he let himself melt into the embrace.

Eventually, his mind caught up to his emotions. He pulled away suddenly, wiping his eyes furiously. "I'm sorry.." He muttered in shame.

"Don't be sorry Jamie, I'm always here for you," Jamie's father promised him, smiling comfortingly. It made Tony feel warm all over again, and he found that he wouldn't mind getting used to a feeling like that.

They exited the car, walking into the building. After a trip to the fifth story of the elevator, they got to apartment 505. Jamie's father opened the door and let them inside. Before Tony had a chance to examine the apartment around them, the older man called out for someone. "Alex! Your brother is home!" He called happily.

There was a thumping on the wooden floor as a blur ran towards Tony. Before he could react, arms were thrown around him in a tight painful hug. "Jamie! Jamie!" Another voice called happily,"It's so good to see you again!"

The hands remained on his shoulders as the person pulled back, and Tony finally got a good look at him. He was taller than Jamie's body, with short, dark brown hair, and the same blue eyes. He was almost a spitting image of the father, except that he had a more youthful appearance.

"Don't worry, Jay, you don't have to say anything," The young man promised,"Dad already told me everything over the phone. I'm Alex, your older brother."

Tony nodded quietly, looking him up and down. He could sort of see the resemblance, mainly in the eyes. Alex stayed still for another second, before suddenly hugging Tony once more. But his hugs were different from the father's. His hugs were tight and kind of forced.

"I'm sorry," The young man apologized,"I just can't help myself, I'm so happy to have you home again!" 

After a few more seconds in the tight hug, he pulled away. Jamie's father smiled, looking happy at the reunion. "Is Lucy asleep?" The man asked.

"Yeah, I put her down about a half hour ago," Alex explained, turning to look at Tony. "Lucy is our baby sister," He explained.

Tony gave another simple nod, but his eyes followed Jamie's father, who was moving back towards the door. "Um.. Uh.." Tony began, walking forward and managing to ask,"D-dad? Where are you going?"

The man gave a soft smile. "I'm going to go inform your school and then drop the rental car back off," He explained,"Don't worry, Alex will show you around. Won't you?"

Alex grinned, wrapping an arm around Tony, and nodding. "Of course!" He declared,"See you in a bit, dad!" 

The door shut, and Alex took his hand, leading him down the hall.. But even with the father gone, questions still filled Tony's speeding mind. _I don't understand.. This kid's life is so good.. He has a happy and loving family.. I feel wrong stealing this from him.._

Before Tony could guilt himself further, goosebumps started to climb up his skin. Alex's previous excitement had suddenly vanished, the apartment seemed to had darkened considerably, but the lights were still on. The atmosphere had suddenly changed..

Walking down the hall, Alex brought him to a door. "This is your room Jamie," He said, an obviously fake smile on his face. "Go on in~"

Tony kept his face neutral, his mismatched eyes looking up at Alex through his lashes, and didn't move. Alex's smile grew wider, but more strained. "Well, what are you waiting for? It's only your room. Go ahead~" He said in the same sickly sweet voice.

Slowly, Tony looked toward the darkened room. Even though he didn't trust the sudden tone Alex had, he would rather be in his- no -Jamie's room than near him. The genius took a few steps towards the unfamiliar room. However, just as he passed Alex, the young man took that moment to grab Tony's shoulder, and whisper in his ear.

"You fucking retard."

Tony stopped, turning to face Alex quickly. All the happiness and affection had faded, and was replaced with pure and utter contempt. There was still a smile, but now it was a condescending one.

"Why couldn't you have just dropped dead? Do you know how much happier you would have made everyone?" The brunette sneered,"You fucking slouch, you can't even die properly. Is there anything else you could screw up that badly?"

Tony's eyes widened underneath his messy bangs. "Huh?" He guffawed. _What in the world is this guy's problem? What did Jamie ever do to him?!_

The hand on his lanky shoulder tightened. " _Huh?_ " Alex mocked,"Really? How about instead of drooling like the buffoon you are, you apologize. Did you really miss your hell so bad that you wanted to come back? I knew you were a fucking moron, but how idiotic could you be?"

The frown deepened on Tony's young face. The genius knew that this wasn't his business, he wasn't Jamie. But.. This guy was really starting to piss him off.

He jerked his shoulder back, feeling a confidence rise in him. "I'm sorry, Alex," He began, simply to see the satisfied look crawl up his face.

"But," Tony continued, causing the frown to come back,"I really don't know why I have to hear that from you."

Alex blinked in surprise, caught off guard. Then, a chuckle escaped his mouth. "You really must have lost your memories, because you'd never talk back to me. I mean, I thought you faking at first."

He leaned forward, blue eyes narrowing. Tony didn't lean back, not afraid of whatever this asshole was trying to pull. "But how long do you think you can keep up this cute little confident act of yours, baby brother?" He snarled,"I've known you your whole life. I know just how much of a coward you really are." 

Alex.. He reminded Tony so much of Ross, of HYDRA goons, of.. Of Team Cap. He was all the bad qualities Tony remembered from the Avengers. But he wasn't about to let this dickhead walk all over him _or_ Jamie.

"A coward?" Tony echoed,"Me, the coward? You're the one acting. Pretending to like me around f-father, then trying to scare me into submission. What else do you do behind his back? I wonder just what I can find if I look hard enough.."

Alex's confident look vanished, eyes widening in shock. Tony then made sure to step forward, his eyes steel and firm. "Why don't you try picking on someone your own size?" He threatened,"If anyone is the coward here, it's you."

The young man looked incredibly confused and frustrated. His eyes stared straight into Tony's, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Finally, he let out an angry yell, turning and stomping away. Tony watched him go, flinching slightly at the loud slamming of the door.

Almost instantly after that, Tony heard loud sobbing that caught him off guard. He turned towards the open door nearby. _Is that Lucy?_ He thought, shutting the door to Jamie's room and walking over to the other door.

Inside he saw a crib, and the little limbs waving about inside it. Tony didn't wait, moving over, and looking down into the crib. Surprisingly, the little girl stopped crying, and turned to look at Tony.

Lucy looked more like Jamie than the father or Alex. She had a head of curly red hair, and the blue eyes that seemed to be a staple in this family. She looked like she could only be six months or younger.

There was silence between them for a moment, before the baby giggled. She began to wiggle her little body about, her hands reaching out for him and squeezing the air while her legs kicked out at nothing.

Tony felt that warm feeling return, and gave a crooked smile. Reaching into the crib, he hooked his arms underneath the girl's arms, and lifted her into the air. The little girl squealed, her legs swinging slightly. Her blue eyes remained on Tony, filled with love for the person she saw as her brother.

Tony brought the baby to his chest, rocking her gently back and forth in her little room. The sadness started to fade away from her eyes, and she began to look sleepy. Tony felt a small weight on his chest as she fell asleep, going limp in his arms.

Everything in the small apartment was silent, except for the gentle breathing that escaped the two of them.

Tony eventually was able to place the baby back into the crib, now fully asleep. Tony never really was around kids growing up, or as his billionaire superhero self. But, holding Lucy, and comforting her.. It just felt right.

"Lucy.." He whispered gently,"I know I'm not Jamie.. Well, the real Jamie anyways.. But.. Even though I know that, I'll protect you, and I'll care for you no matter what.. Because I'm sure that's what Jamie would have wanted."

It was probably the least Tony could do..

But it was a promise, and it was one he was going to keep no matter what.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm going to school?"

Sitting in the living room area a few hours later, Jamie's father sat across from him, while Alex was making himself some tea in the kitchen, and Lucy was sitting in her playpen. Tony was suddenly faced with another issue. In all the chaos of the strange body switch, he had forgotten that Jamie was in fact a teenager. Teenagers went to school.. And now he was a teenager.

Jamie's father smiled, though it was a weak one, and nodded. "Yes, I finished all the paperwork already," He explained,"The school said you start school tomorrow."

 _Tomorrow?_ Tony thought incredulously, looking down at the lanky legs. _I haven't been to school in nearly 30 years._. That wasn't the only problem though. Tony didn't know Jamie, how good of a student was Jamie? Was he smart, was he failing? Should he show his true intelligence?

Jamie's father noticed this immediately. "O-of course you don't have to go back right away, if you still feeling sick or need time to rest I completely understand," He said nervously,"I thought it was too soon.. I just don't want you to get behind on work.. But it's all up to you."

Tony quickly raised his head, and shook it. As much as he wanted to avoid this new predicament, if he stayed away too long, they might get suspicious.. "No no, I was just thinking about it and-"

"Maybe Jamie doesn't want to go back to school.."

Quickly, they both turned towards the sudden interjection by Alex. The older boy was leaning against the counter, innocently taking a drink of his hot tea.

"What do you mean, Alex?" Jamie's father asked. Tony watched the father's face carefully, noticing his honest tone. _So then he doesn't know how Alex really treats his brother.._

Alex shrugged, moving the cup to his lap. "I probably shouldn't say this in front of Jay, but.." He began,"On the day of his accident, the police told us that there was a possibility it was a suicide.. It was just a rumor, but Jamie had been acting sad recently.. If something bad happened to him at school, and he jumped because of that.. He may not want to go to school, even if he doesn't really remember it.. He might on an instinctual level though.."

Those blue eyes turned to him, filled with deep hatred. "I'm not sure if going back to school is such a good idea for Jamie.." He said, fake sorrow in his tone,"I'm really sorry I had to say that in front of you, Jay.."

Jamie's father seemed pained, and saddened by his older son's words. But he couldn't see the eyes that Tony saw. His eyes, paired with the words he just sprouted.. Tony saw the true meaning.

 _So you're telling me "Don't go to school.."_ Tony thought, narrowing his own mismatched eyes. Tony knew staying at the apartment was probably his safest bet, but he already decided that he wasn't going to let this asshole walk all over him or Jamie.

"I'm fine," He declared, making both heads shift over to him quickly. Jamie's father continued to look worried, but Alex's eyes narrowed in annoyance and anger.

"You're not trying to push yourself, right? A-are you sure?" The father asked, running a hand through his brown hair, watching Tony nod. "What about what Alex said..?" He nervously tried.

"Well, Alex himself said that it's just speculation. He's just worried because he cares about me so much, I don't feel uncomfortable about it at all," He said,"In fact, I want to go to school."

Alex frowned, while Jamie's father nodded. "Alright, as long as you think you can do it," The older man responded, and Tony made sure to give a gentle grin in response.

"Don't worry, dad, I _know_ I can do it," He replied, his eyes flashing towards Alex. He could see the older male's pale hands tightening around his mug with obvious anger. He suddenly stood up, and walked away. Jamie's father and Tony watched him go.

The older man gave a weary smile, and said,"Don't worry about Alex, I think he's just a little stressed out with work, and he really does worry about you," He replied, and Tony had to fight the urge to laugh.

 _I think the fuck not!_ He thought in amusement. _That kid would probably light me on fire if he needed to roast some marshmallows, I don't trust him as far as I could throw him!_

But he didn't want to tell the man that, he obviously had no clue just how cruel Alex was, and after what happened, Tony didn't feel like he deserved that pain. So, he simply put a soft smile on his face, and replied,"I know he does, you all do. Thank you for caring so much about me."

Jamie's father smiled in return, and his hand reached out for him. Tony tensed up at first, but relaxed at the feeling of the coarse hand ruffling his messy red hair. "Well, you're going to have an exciting day tomorrow, so I'll do dinner tonight, okay?" He declared lovingly.

Tony gave another gentle grin, still getting used to the feeling of affection. Jamie's father was the exact opposite of his own, and it made Tony want to hug him and never let go. But instead, he let the father head over to the kitchen area of the apartment. Meanwhile, Tony took the time to look around.

The dark hardwood floors contrasted with the pale color of the walls, and the furniture was all mismatched. There was the white, squishy couch he sat on, and a faux leather chair nearby, along with the wooden couch with pillows that Alex had sat on. The TV was on in front of the white couch, playing a news story about stocks and weather, and in the corner by the wooden couch was a bookshelf that was practically overflowing. The house was a little messy, but it had a warm feeling to it.

On the walls, however, were several picture frames of the family Tony suddenly found himself a part of, and they were all much more organized. The man turned teen couldn't hold in his curiosity, as he slowly crept over to look at them.

There were three pictures in total. One was a frame with three babies in it, and Tony could only guess that one of them, probably the middle one, was Jamie and the other to were Alex and Lucy. The second was a picture of what looked like Alex and Jamie on their first day of school. Alex seemed to have the same facade as normal, wearing normal clothes with a large grin on his face, while Jamie looked downtrodden and afraid, while wearing the uniform Tony had seen in his room. _Poor kid, you've had it really rough.._ He thought sadly, before turning his attention to the last photo in the corner.

It was a wedding picture, that showed a woman in a beautiful white dress and very messy, curly red hair. Across from her was Jamie's father, who looked as happy as could be. Tony tilted his head slightly, staring at the woman curiously. That was Jamie's mother… The resemblance was uncanny, but it begged the question.. Where was she?

"BAH!"

Tony let out a surprised squeak, jerking around to face the noise. It was Lucy, who was sitting up with her hands gripping the bars for support, while she stared at Tony fiercely as if demanding attention.

The redhead chuckled slightly, and then moved towards the playpen. The baby began to wiggle excitedly with every step closer, blue eyes bright with excitement, making Tony grin in amusement. His pale arms moved, lifting the child up into his arms. "Hi sweetheart," He cooed,"Do you need some attention?"

Lucy giggled in his arms, her hands clutching at the fabric of his shirt as she babbled on, enjoying the gentle swaying that Tony began to do. His own mismatched eyes watched the baby gently, feeling an extremely overprotective burst of feeling overflow through him. He could have stayed that way for hours, just rocking the baby back and forth..

But then a splash of red, white, and blue appeared on the television.

Tony's eyes instantly flew to the television, the headline catching his attention. It was about the Avengers.. Suddenly captivated, he backed over to the white couch and sank back into it, desperate to know what was going on with the Avengers.

"The world has been rebuilding from the aftermath of the war with Thanos, and all the Avengers have been helping the best they could," The news reporter began, her eyes looking down at her papers. "Stark Industries' CEO, Pepper Potts, has been donating all around the world to help with rebuilding. They are truly an inspiration, especially after the death of their own Tony Stark, who sacrificed himself so that the battle could be won."

The camera switched to show images of the destroyed New York city, as she continued,"Though no statement has been given yet, the few Avengers who have spoken out have stated that they are going to continue to protect the citizens of the world, because they know that is what Mr. Stark would have wanted. To honor his valiant sacrifice, a statue of the man and the engraved names of fallen citizens, soldiers, and anyone else who perished during the battle will be created, though where it will be located is still unknown. No matter where it will be, I think we are all thankful for the heroism of Tony Stark and the other Avengers. May he rest in peace.. In other news-"

Tony tuned out the rest of the woman's news, focusing on all the information he had just heard. _So…. Everyone was else is okay then? I'm the only Avenger who 'died'?_ Tony thought thankfully That's good, the world will need them after all this.. I think that for now, the best I can do is lay low. The world will be fine without me, they never needed me. But the world needs the Avengers, and if I had to die to make sure they all survived, then it was worth it.

"Jamie! Dinner's just about ready!"

Tony turned towards the voice, quickly calling," I'll be right there!" The genius adjusted the baby in his arms, his eyes turning towards the image of the Avengers one last time, before he turned and walked out of the living room.

* * *

The Next Day

* * *

 _Why did I agree to this..?_

After his decision yesterday, Tony now found himself front of the school, the large building seeming to intimidate him simply by existing. He was wearing a cream colored cardigan with a white dress shirt underneath it, along with black uniform pants, a book bag on his shoulder. All around him, students in the same uniforms were whispering and staring, as if he was a some kind of anomaly.

Tony let out a small groan, squeezing the bag's strap for a moment before quickly walking towards the entrance into the building. _Now that I'm here, there really is no turning back.._ He thought. _I'll just have to deal with it, after all, it is just school, what's the worst that could happen?_

"Whoa! So the rumors are true, then! You're back!" A loud, snobbish voice suddenly said, causing Tony to turn his mismatched eyes around. Before he could get a good view however, a strong arm lied itself upon his lanky shoulders, and another person leaned over to stare at him, his piercing brown eyes seeming to stare straight through him. Turning his head, he suddenly realized that there were several people around him.

"It's _so_ fucking amazing to see you again, Jamie," The voice purred,"Do you know how much I missed you? I was _so_ worried~"

 _What is this..?_ Tony frowned, narrowing his eyes at the short haired teen. "And.. Who are you?" He queried in confusion.

The teen in front of him blanked, then suddenly burst out laughing. "HA!" He cried,"Seriously?! You're not faking it? You actually got amnesia?!"

The others around him began to laugh even harder, as another remarked,"Of course someone like _you_ would manage to do that.. Always trying to escape reality, haha!"

Tony frowned, mismatched eyes taking in the sight before him, and the turned backs of everyone else around them. He now could see just what kind of life that Jamie had lived..

 _People around you just tried to use you, while everyone else ignored it and stood by.. And with Alex strutting around at home, you never had a chance to feel safe, did you? You were utterly alone.. Just like.._ Tony's eyes widened. _Just like me…_

A sudden burst of determination flew through Tony, and a small huff of amusement escaped past his lips. He jerked his shoulder, using his hand to slap it away. All the laughing around him stopped, onlookers watching curiously.

"You're all idiots," He sternly declared,"If you're going to pretend to be my friends, try and put some actual effort into it, okay?"

With one ice cold glare, he pulled away from the group of shocked frozen teens, ignored the surprised onlookers, and made his way up into the school. He had nothing left to say to them.

The young teacher in front of Tony hugged slightly. "Your father informed me of what happened," The teacher began,"Well, starting in the middle of your second year will be a little tough, but with hard work, I'm sure you can catch up."

Tony huffed slightly, before nodding. "Y-yes sir," He stuttered out quickly, looking down at his feet. _This is going to take some getting used to.._

The teacher then nodded, and then led Tony from his office to the classroom that as labelled 2-1. He slid the door open, and called,"Alright everyone, take your seats!"

The chatter in the room came to a close, and suddenly all eyes were on him. Not about to let them think he was afraid, he quickly narrowed his eyes, before moving to the seat in the front that the teacher directed him to. As he sat down, Tony released a huge, exhausted sigh, and slouched in his seat.

 _Something tells me that today is going to be a long day.._

* * *

Tony's later found out that his suspicions were entirely correct.

All throughout the day, he found himself struggling with the new culture he found himself in. The work was easy. After all, he was Tony Stark. But everything else was completely different from anything about school he remembered.

After the first bell, Tony ended up getting in trouble because he didn't know that students stayed in the room and teachers were the ones that moved. Then, the second teacher yelled at him for still wearing his outdoor shoes. _Outdoor shoes?!_ Tony wanted to scream And what the fuck are outdoor shoes?!

The student around him seemed to find everything he got in trouble for absolutely hilarious, and it was annoying Tony throughout the day to no end. It didn't help that they were constantly staring at him as well, whispering or glaring. _Let them try anything, they'll be sorry if they do._

But as bad as the day was, nothing could have prepared him for what happened at the end of the day.

The gentle bell rang, alerting the eager students that it was finally time to go home. As everyone began to head out, the teacher called,"And remember to finish translating the last few sentences of the passage to English at home."

 _Thank god!_ Tony thought in relief. He was desperate to go back to the apartment, wanting to get on the internet and research more about the culture of Japan. It seemed like, since he was probably stuck like this, that was the best idea.

Before he could leave, however, a large hand landed on his shoulder. Tony tensed under the hand, before turning around to meet the eyes of the middle aged English teacher, whose name was Furukawa- _sensei_. He had a gentle smile on his face, and quickly said,"Except you, Jamie. I need to talk to you about the curriculum you missed."

Something about the situation seemed strange, but he pushed it aside. "Uh.. Sure," He responded, picking up the book bag and walking up to the teacher's desk.

Furukawa made him wait a bit, moving to finish erasing the chalkboard. Tony took that time to look around the room, noticing the empty desks and closed doors. Something really felt wrong..

The man placed the eraser down, which clacked the chalk nearby slightly. Then, he turned around, smiling and sitting down at the desk. "So, Jamie, how have you been? Are you okay after the hospital?" He questioned, voice dripping with empty concern.

Standing awkwardly, Tony quickly replied,"I'm fine, sir…" The man hummed in return to his words, his dark eyes examining the lanky body in front of him.

"Good… That's good.." Furukawa replied, staring a little longer. Suddenly, he stood up, walking around the desk and in front it, now looming over the teenager. Tony frowned deeply once more, taking a slow step back. "So, I heard you got amnesia from the accident… Is that true?" He asked again.

"Yes it is," Tony replied quickly,"B-but I don't see what this has to do with my missed work."

Furukawa suddenly looked upset. "Oh, but it has a lot to do with it, Jamie," He purred, his hand touching Tony's cheek and forcing the redhead to face him. "Because if you lost your memories, it means that you don't remember our relationship. You don't remember _us._ "

 _This is wrong. I need to get out of here.._ Tony thought quickly, desperately trying to back away as fast as possible. But the man had an iron grip on his wrists, and Jamie's body was weaker than Tony's was.

The man's hands quickly transferred to his waist, as he leaned forward. "But don't worry, I'll help you remember," He whispered, before pushing his nasty, slimy lips against Tony's. The genius was so shocked at what was happening that he was unable to stop Furukawa's tongue from sliding into his mouth, exploring it deeply.

Tony felt his breath pick up, as he forced the lanky body he not inhabited to struggle, pushing against the man's chest. This only seemed to anger the teacher, however, as he tightened his grip before violently pushing him away. Tony stumbled, falling backwards and knocking some desks down with him.

"It's okay, Jamie," The man's sweet voice cooed,"I'll let you off the hook this time. But soon enough, I'm sure you'll remember."

The man turned teen took a frantic breath, before standing, and running out of the room as fast as possible. He was breathing hard with panic already, but forced himself to keep going, until he reached the restrooms. Pushing the door open, he ran in, slammed it shut, and flattened himself against the tile wall.

It took several breaths for Tony to manage to calm down, and relax as much as he could. Finally, he let out a deep breath, and looked around the empty, grey bathroom. His lanky arms went to hug himself, Stalking over to the mirror on the wall.

He was faced with the mismatched eyes filled with fear, the red hair a frizzy disaster, and the uniform dirtied from his fall. As those eyes caught sight of the soft lips, he cringed, before turning the sink on, splashing water in his face, and rubbing his lips violently with his sleeve.

Looking back up at himself, at the body he now inhabited, he started to wonder just how many times the real Jamie had done this. How many times that _monster_ had touched him. Tony felt disgusted and horrified. But most of all, he felt sadness. Not for him, but for the previous soul that had this body, for Jamie.

"You dealt with this for so long.." He whispered,"Alex, the assholes at school, and that pedophile.. You could have said something.. But then again, who would have taken your word? People must have never stopped to help you.. You always had to fend for yourself.. Jamie.. We're much more alike than I thought.."

The kid was almost exactly like Tony. Only used by others if they wanted something from him, alone constantly, and betrayed by those close to him. He had suffered and suffered, until he finally gave into the pain.

A strong feeling grew inside Tony, before settling in his heart. Staring into those mismatched eyes, he made a decision. He wasn't just going to sit idly by anymore. No, he was going to do so much more than that.

"This isn't going to stand," He firmly declared,"I'm not going to let _us_ get pushed around anymore, Jamie. I don't know where you are, but if you're listening, just know this. I'm going to fight for both of us, I won't let us- I won't let _you_ get hurt anymore."

With resolve that Tony had never felt before, he grabbed his book bag, and stormed towards the entrance of the school, and towards home. He felt determination that he hadn't felt in a long time.

 _Let them try and bully Jamie, let Alex try and force him into things, let that bastard teacher try and touch us again. Let them try_ _ **anything**_ _, let them all try. But they'll never hurt us again._

 _I'll avenge you Jamie, no matter how long it takes.._


	4. Chapter 4

If there was anything Tony learned from his life, it was that revenge was best served cold. He knew that Jamie's body wasn't strong enough to handle fighting just yet, but there was time to fix that. He had plans, lots of them, and everyone who hurt Jamie was going to feel his wrath.

Tony started with the teenagers who approached him his first day at school. They had been out to get him since the day he had called them out. The genius had an idea about why they wanted Jamie as their 'friend'. So, after a night of contemplation, he allowed them to catch him.

That was what led him to his situation, held against the wall by the brunette with piercing eyes from before, a red mark on his right cheek from where he had been hit, a split lip, and a black eye beginning to form. His fist was poised, ready to hit the teen once more as his friends stood in the background.

"W-wait!" Tony cried out, forcing his mismatched eyes to fill with fear, raising his hands to protect his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I said that yesterday! Please don't hurt me!"

The brunette snorted, lowering his fist. He grabbed Tony's dress shirt, yanking hard enough to throw him to the ground. "Weak little shit, can't even take more than one punch, can you?" He snarled, gaining laughter from the group behind them.

The teen then knelt down next to the redhead, a smirk crawling up his cruel face. "Don't worry Jamie," He mocked,"We'll give you one last chance to prove yourself, okay?"

Tony forced a sniff, nodding feverishly toward them. The satisfied look on the asshole's face almost made Tony wipe it off, but he had to stick to the plan. "Y-yes! What-whatever you want I'll do it!"

After hearing the redhead's (supposedly) genuine plea, the brunette grabbed some papers from his backpack, shoving them in his victim's face.

"These papers are the major exam we're having in math tomorrow, we stole them from the teachers' office" He explained,"Solve the problems and give them back to us, okay?"

Tony nodded feverishly once more, and the other got up, walking away with a confident swagger. The redhead watched them go for a while, waiting until they turned the corner before he gathered up the papers.

His mismatched eyes turned up, and seeing that nobody was around him, he allowed a very sadistic smirk to crawl up his face. _You all made this too easy!_ He thought in absolute glee.

Kneeling down, he gathered the papers up, placing them in his book bag, and got to his feet. The rest of the day, Tony went through the motions of acting like a frightened young man. This made the bullies look rather proud, thinking they had won.

Little did they know what storm was about to hit them..

* * *

The next day, Tony returned to completed papers with a nervous smile. The group's tune suddenly seemed to change now that he had done what they wanted, back to their fake plastic ways. The brunette who had punched him the day before even ruffled his hair in a brotherly way. It made the anger Tony already felt boil into rage.

 _So that's how they controlled you._ He realized _Not just with fear, but with false promises of friendship. But it was all fake.. You knew that too, didn't you?_

He yanked a shy smile onto his face, containing it long enough so that they would leave. Once they sweetly gave their goodbyes, with a false promise of hanging out later, the smile fell. His mismatched eyes narrowed in barley contained anger, he took a deep, long breath, and began to force tears from his eyes.

As soon as he was crying hard enough, he took off in run towards the counselor's office, nearly tripping over the long legs in the process. As soon as he found the door, he slid it open, releasing a shaky gasp for effect.

The counselor at the desk, Namie Ogiwara, jumped, turning to look up at him. Her brown eyes widened, noticing the injuries that graced his face. "Mr. Macintyre?" She queried,"What happened to you?"

She quickly pushed away from her desk, moving to examine his wounds closer. Tony flinched at her close proximity, before letting out a few more sobs. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Ogiwara! I'm sorry!" He cried,"I was- I was j-just so scared!"

"Scared of what?" The counselor worriedly asked,"Who did this to you?"

Tony sniffed, putting on a facade of fear. "I-if I tell you.. I'm afraid they'll hurt me again," He quietly declared.

Ogiwara's face morphed into anger, but the glimmer in her eyes showed that to wasn't aimed at him. "This is a prestigious school doesn't tolerate bullying, Jamie. Whoever did this will be expelled."

Tony turned his eyes up to her. "R-really?" He asked, wringing his fingers in front of him. When the woman nodded, he made sure to take several deep breaths before continuing.

"Iho Hamada and his f-friends.. They attacked me. They stole the math exam key from the teachers room and threatened to hurt me if I didn't give them the answers. I'm sorry! I really am! I was just s-so scared!" He cried, falling back into tears once more.

Namie gently cooed, rubbing his back. "It's okay, Jamie," She promised,"I understand why you did it. I'll explain everything to your math teacher, and we'll make sure Iho and his friends pay for hurting you, and cheating on a major exam."

She led him out of the counselor room, and to the nurses' office. There he was given an ice pack for his injuries and told to wait while they checked security cameras and confronted the students responsible. Tony have a sniffle and a shaky nod, lowering his head as he listened to them leave.

After the door slid shut, clicking against the other side of the doorway, a smile crawled up his face. His plan turned out perfect. Those brats would never be able to recover from his carefully laid revenge plan.

The teens had been pulled to the principal's office during math, funnily enough. When confronted with the footage of attacking Jamie, they quickly tried to blame each other. In the end, they were all expelled.

As they were escorted off campus, Tony watched from the window. Iho, the most angry of all, noticed the bright red hair, and turned his dark eyes towards him. When they made eye contact, Tony allowed a satisfied smirk to crawl up his face. He then raised a pale hand, and gave a goodbye wave.

Tony knew though, that Iho wasn't about to let getting expelled stop him from getting revenge against him. _Let him try anything._ He thought firmly. _I'll show him what it truly means to be an avenger._

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay!?"

"Dad, I'm fine-"

"No you're not! Why didn't you tell me they were bullying you!?"

Jamie's father definitely was protective of his kids, Tony knew that for sure as he sat in the small kitchen with the man fussed over him. The second the school had called him, he had run over to pick him up and bring Tony home.

"It's okay, I'm fine," Tony promised,"I was just.. Afraid at first. But.. I figured out the only way to stop it was to face it."

The older man looked surprised, before letting a big smile climb up his face. "I'm proud of you for standing up to yourself," He declared,"But next time, please talk to me about it. I know you're still trying to remember things, but I'm your father. If someone is hurting you, I want you to tell me. Not spend time doing _their_ work for the math exam."

Tony allowed a smirk to crawl up his face once more, mismatched eyes shining mischievously. "Don't worry, I didn't waste any time," He replied,"The answers were completely wrong anyway."

The older man snorted in surprise, an amused smile crawling up his face. The pride in his blue eyes was enough to make a warm feeling flow through Tony. Howard never looked at him that way, _never._ To have someone who was proud of him.. It felt amazing, and he never wanted to let that feeling go.

After he was done bandaging up Tony, his eyes grew soft. "Jamie," He firmly said,"You're strong, and very brave. Don't let them tell you otherwise."

The warmth Tony felt turned into burning determination, and he gave a wide smile. "Don't worry dad," He declared,"They never will."

* * *

Things did not get easier after that, but Tony wasn't expecting it to. Just because the main problem was gone didn't mean there weren't others. But he wasn't about to back down, not by a long shot.

Wherever he went, he kept his head held high, mismatched eyes staring down anymore who dared to try and hurt him. The intimidation and sudden courage caused a lot of people to leave him alone, but not everyone.

One day, after school, Tony was cleaning the floors by the bathroom alone. He didn't mind it much, it was nice to just work and think. However, the peace couldn't last forever. During his work, three girls wandered towards where he was. They walked like a pack, all swaying their hips, and texting on their phones.

One girl, the closest to the left, looked up and noticed him as they turned the corner. A smirk crawled up her lips, as she nudged the girl in the middle. "Nanami-chan, look who it is," She whispered,"Isn't that the kid who got your boyfriend expelled?"

Nanami, who was wearing red lipstick, eye shadow, and had her dyed blonde hair in a long style, looked up from her phone. The second her eyes caught that obnoxious red hair, she felt rage. _Iho is expelled, stuck in a public school because of that brat._ The teen thought.

Turning to the two girls at her sides, she whispered,"If that little brat thinks he's invincible now, he's in for a rude awakening! Let's go girls."

She sashayed towards the boy, reaching into her book bag and pulling out a makeup bottle filled with black liquid. She unscrewed the cap, before flicking the bottle hard. The black liquid splattered all over the boy, causing him to jump in surprise, and she tossed the rest of it to the bucket of water he had been using. The water turned a black color.

Tony frowned, turning his mismatched eyes to the laughing girls. Nanami smirked, placing her hands on her hips with an sadistic chuckle. "Maybe you should fix yourself before you try cleaning anything else, gay boy," She sneered,"But then again, nothing could ever fix the disaster you are. Take this as a lesson, and make sure to jump from a higher building next time!"

The girls giggled, turning down the hall once more to walk away. Tony frowned, eyes narrowing with a calculated gaze. Without saying a word, he grabbed the bucket of black water, using his lanky legs to catch up. Just as the girls started to turn around, he threw his arm forward, slamming the nasty water straight into their faces.

They let out girlish screams, their makeup beginning to fall off as the black stained the clothes. Tony could only smile, dropping the bucket to the ground. "You know, I heard that witches melt when they're hit with water, I never thought it was true though," He declared snidely.

The girls all waved their hands at their faces, sobbing and taking off running to desperately try and save face. Students around the school watched them run away, wondering who would dare put such bitchy students in their place.

* * *

The next day, Tony walked into his classroom to see his desk covered in slurs like "Faggot" and "Slut" in permanent marker. Walking closer, he found a nasty washcloth and sharpie on top. The teen cringed, lifting it up with as little amount of contact as possible. _That's fucking disgusting.._ He thought.

Turning towards the door, he heard the giggles of a very familiar girl. _Nanami, that bitch_ He snarled within _Thinks she can beat me this easily? Well she's in for a nasty surprise._

It would be a half hour later, when the class actually began, a group of chattering girls wandered towards the door, sliding it open. The disgusting smell instantly flew into their faces, causing them to slam the door closed again.

"What the fuck is that?! It's disgusting!" They exclaimed, frantically talking amongst each other. Nanami groaned, her hand going to her nose. _Where did that smell come from? The only thing that smelled in there was the washcloth.._

Her eyes widened in realization, and she whipped around towards the hallway. Leaning against the wall was the lanky Jamie, ignoring the frantic students. He was acting innocent, but Nanami knew exactly what he did.

Right before she spoke, their teacher wandered into the hall. He frowned, turning his beady eyes to them before he snapped,"Hey! What's going on here!? Why aren't you in your seats!?"

He slid the door open, and was abruptly blasted by the dogmatic smell. He turned around, looking at the students. "Who is responsible for this!?" He demanded, wrinkles multiplying with the downcast face.

Nanami felt panic explode through her. If anyone found out what she had done, she was dead for sure. She quickly formulated a plan.

"YOU!" She yelled, pointing her perfectly manicured finger at him. The redhead looked towards her, easing an eyebrow up.

His calm reaction, not even a smirk or surprise, made her angry. "Don't you dare act like that!" She snapped,"I know you did this! I saw you leave! Why would you do this?!"

The old teacher narrowed his eyes, looking at the frantic Nanami before turning towards the calm teen. "Is this true, Mr. Macintyre?" He questioned.

Tony had to hide his smirk. He knew this would happen. He opened his eyes wide, giving an innocent look. "Why would I do such a thing?" He innocently said,"It seems really unfair to accuse me.."

Turning to classroom, he walked to his own desk, still covered in slurs. He gestured towards it with a pale hand. "My desk is in the worst condition, why would I do this to my _own_ desk?" He questioned.

The teacher frowned even deeper, rubbing his wrinkled chin. "Yes, that is very true," He replied, before turning towards Nanami again.

"How rude, blaming another student for an incident they had nothing to do with!" He snapped. The girl jerked back in surprise, her face pale with shock. With her jerky movements, a large clatter could be heard.

The teacher's beady eyes turned towards the ground, noticing that a large, bulky permanent marker had just fallen from the girl's bag. Nanami followed his gaze, her eyes widening in terror. _How did that get there?! I left it on Jamie's desk!_

"I knew it!" The teacher snapped,"You defaced school property, lied to me, blamed another student! I expected more of a student like you! Go to the counselor now!"

Nanami opened her mouth, beginning to protest, before bursting into tears again, and storming down the hall. She frantically wiped her face, as anger boiled deep within her. _Jamie, you bastard! How dare you do this to me!_

She sniffled, yanking her phone out of her bag and typing frantically. _I'll get you! You won't get away with this!_

 _Just you wait!_

* * *

His first week of school had passed rather quickly, but it left Tony with a rejuvenated sense of confidence. No longer would anyone treat him or Jamie like a doormat. He had already gained a reputation at the school for not taking shit, which shocked the students greatly. I still have to deal with the pedo teacher, but I can worry about that later. He decided.

He released a heavy sigh, flopping back on the small bed after a long Friday. It was twin sized with indigo colored sheets, on a mahogany bed frame. The room itself was a simple white color, with light mahogany flooring as well. There was a desk, dressed, bookshelf, and a single picture frame on the desk but that was it. It was a photo of Jamie and his mother, who looked exactly like her son, minus her green eyes.

All in all, the room was barren for someone Jamie's age. Not a single trinket or nostalgic items, not even a poster. It frustrated Tony a bit, because even though he now was living this boy's life, he still knew nothing about him.

With a sigh slid off the bed, slipping into his house slippers, grabbed his bag, and wandered back into the rest of the apartment. It was empty, as he had arrived just after the school day. Strangely, the day had been without incident, Nanami hadn't even so much as looked in his direction. Maybe she finally learned her lesson?

The genius pulled out a container of blueberries from the fridge, popping a few in his mouth. The redhead moved to the couch, leaving the container on the table, and placing the notebook in his lap. He flipped to his homework, and began to speed through it as fast as he could. It was more difficult than he remembered from American high school, but he was still a genius, so everything was pretty easy.

Before he could completely finish, the blaring of his phone caught his attention. He turned to grab it, sliding the green button, and bringing it to his ear. "Hello?" He asked.

"Oh!" Jamie's father exclaimed,"Thank goodness you're home, Jamie! I completely forgot to get the groceries for dinner tonight, and I won't be home till late since I have to go pick up Lucy. Can you or Alex grab the groceries?"

Tony scrunched up his face at the mention of his annoying sort of-brother. "Alex isn't home yet, dad," He responded,"I got home and it was empty."

There was a curious noise on the other side of the phone. "Strange… I thought he was off work at noon today.. Maybe he has some kind of activity at Uni?" He asked, more to himself than to Tony.

"Don't worry dad, I'll take care of it!" He replied quickly, making sure his growing suspicion of Alex didn't reach his voice.

He heard a large sigh of relief on the other side of the phone. "Thanks," Jamie's dad spoke thankfully,"I'll be back around seven, stay safe, I love you!"

"Okay, bye!" Tony ended, closing the phone quickly. He felt slight guilt for not replying to the end, but it just didn't feel right. He wasn't Jamie, that man wasn't his father, he didn't deserve to take that love. It wasn't his.

Pushing away the dark thoughts, Tony put his bag away, and was about to leave when he heard a shaking of the lock. Quickly, the teen jumped to a hiding spot in the living room. Finally, the door opened, and Tony noticed a familiar figure. It was Alex, still wearing his fast food uniform.

He slammed the door shut with a grumble, the mail in one hand and phone in another. "I know, but I can't come tonight!" He declared in Japanese, pushing the door shut with his body.

There was silence, before he spoke again. "Because if my dad or my piece of shit brother finds out about it then- Ugh! I'll call you back later, I don't want the fucker to hear anything." he snarled.

Tony chanced a peek from his spot behind the couch, and watched the brunette flip through the several envelopes. One, however, made him freeze. His blue eyes widened, and he quickly ripped it in two pieces, throwing it into the bin by the door. The redhead then tossed the rest of the mail on the tablet, and crossed down the hallway.

Tony waited until he heard the sound of a door slam shut before jumping out of his hiding spot. He stumbled over his lanky legs, and then quickly ran to the bin.

He pulled the two torn pieces out, when a frantic worry ran through his head. _What if Alex checks the bin?_ He thought worriedly.

Quickly, the genius shook the letter within the envelope out and onto the floor. Placing the envelope back where he found it, he gathered up the pieces of the letter, shoving them into the large pocket on his hoodie.

 _I don't want to wait around, Alex is already worried that I'm onto him._ Tony decided, and was suddenly thankful to have the excuse of getting groceries.

He shut the door, running down to the elevator, and speed walking out of the lobby. He looked back at the elevator, but it remained closed. He sighed in relief, and then slowed down to a walk. The city moved around him, filled with bright signs and the orange light of slowly lowering sun.

Instead of heading straight to the store, Tony stopped at the Ueno Park, sitting down at a bench, and pulling out the torn papers. His pale hands unfolded them, and slowly pulled them together. When he had the pieces put together, with even the torn parts aligned, he was able to see exactly what it said.

 _Dear Alex,_

 _It has been several months since you pulled out from our classes, and we have yet to hear back from you as to why. Please respond, and help us turn the University of Tokyo into a better environment for future students._

 _Thank you._

Tony's mismatched eyes widened. _Alex dropped out of Uni?! But he has been going to classes almost every day, and he collected a check from da- Jamie's dad for fees just yesterday!_

Irrational anger filled the brunette. _Alex, you bastard.._ He was lying to them all, and based on the conversation that Tony had overheard, there was more to it.

"Alex.." He snarled,"Just what are you hiding?"

Tony truly had no idea, but he did know that he wouldn't stop until he found out.


	5. Chapter 5

The Inageya supermarket was a new experience, but Tony enjoyed it. Every day he remained in Japan, the more he found himself getting immersed in the society. While he had gone to Japan on business trips, he mostly just went to meetings or got drunk in the… Less desirable areas of the cities. Living as an actual citizen was a much different experience.

The redhead wandered through the aisles, grabbing the items from the list that Jamie's father had sent him. He was salivating at the thought of dinner, and he couldn't help it. He stopped near checkout, and read over the list again.

 _Horse mackerel, rice, eggs, bonito flakes, and tofu. I think I have everything!_ He thought proudly. As he headed to pay, he saw something on one of the shelves. It was a small, red and gold phone keychain; more specifically an Iron Man keychain.

Tony didn't really know why, but he felt a strange sort of nostalgia. Even though it had only been a while since he had become Jamie, Iron Man felt so much like a distant memory. He reached out, pulling out one of the smaller keychains.

Memories passed by his mismatched eyes, the Avengers and the good times they had. His reunion with Rogers before Thanos was defeated. Although he was saddened by that thought, he also thought of it a different way. This was his new life, and the Avengers could go on without him. Tony would remember them fondly though.

He smiled, placing it into his basket, and heading to checkout. It was time to go home.

* * *

The streets were a little crowded, considering work hours for many places had just ended. So, Tony took a shortcut through one of the nearby side streets.

One hand was holding the bag of groceries, while the other held the phone. He shook it a little, watching the keychain move around. _Does this count as narcissism?_ He wondered amusedly.

Tony turned another corner, wincing at the sunlight that began reflecting off his phone. He pulled the electronic a little further back, to the point he could see his own reflection. That's when he saw it, something behind him that was coming towards him fast-

The redhead whipped around, backing away, but not fast enough to avoid it completely. A crack rang through the air, and Tony cried out, falling to the ground. His head throbbed in pain, but he forced his eyes open to see who his attacker was.

Iho Hamada.

Holding a now blood splattered bat over his shoulder, a sadistic grin rising onto his face. "Hey fag," He sneered,"You thought you could get away from us that easy?" As if that was the code word, several of the other bullies appeared around corners, holding weapons.

Tony's mismatched eyes widened, frantically trying to figure out how to escape. The way he had come from was blocked, he was surrounded. He turned his head back to Iho. "L-listen, you don't have to do this!" He shakily tried,"We can just walk away."

Iho burst into laughter, crazed eyes staring down at him. "Not gonna happen, Jamie!," He snapped,"You hurt my girl, you hurt our pride, and you go us expelled! No amount of begging will save you! When we're done with you, they won't even be able to scrape your guts off the pavement!"

In a moment of pure adrenaline, Tony grabbed the jar of Tsukemono, and threw it as hard as he could. It collided with Iho's face, and shattered from the hard impact. Iho screamed, broken glass, cuts, and vinegar creating an inferno on his face.

Jumping to his feet, Tony shoved his way through the stunned men, running as fast as his long legs would take him. His world was spinning, but he knew he had to keep going. The second he saw another opening, he would run down it, taking a zigzag pattern throughout the city's alleyways.

His head throbbed harder, and he found that his breathing was growing faster. Jamie's body was much weaker than his own, and he ran out of breath much faster. The next time he turned a corner, he stumbled and crashed into the wall, landing on the hard ground below him.

Tony's weak, shaky limbs wouldn't hold him up, but he could hear them coming. _Oh god… They're going to catch me!_ Just as the black began to crawl further in his vision, he was grabbed. The light from the sun suddenly faded, and he was thrown to the side.

His legs tripped over several things, before he slammed into the back of something hard. Everything was spinning, he was too delirious to understand what was going on.

Before he could even try to figure out what was going on, the darkness that had been slowly creeping up on him completely pulled Tony under, and unconsciousness claimed him.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he was at school.

 _What the…?_ Tony wondered, looking around the room in utter confusion. He recognized the room instantly, it was the school's gym storage room. _But… This doesn't make sense… Why am I here?_

The door suddenly slid open, revealing two very familiar figures. It was Furukawa and… Jamie?!

Tony's eyes widened, turning to look down at himself. Sure enough, he saw his tanned, calloused hands and the glow of the arc reactor. He turned his eyes back toward the scene. _If I'm not in Jamie's body and I'm watching as an outsider, then this must be… A memory?_

Jamie kept his head lowered, looking completely defeated. Furukawa was smiling as he shut the door, locking it with a click that echoed through the room. He then turned, wrapping his arms around Jamie's shoulder, and nuzzling his face into his neck. The sight filled Tony with anger and disgust.

The redhead's hands were shaking, and after a few moments of behind held, he whispered,"I don't want to do this…"

Furukawa made a soft, understanding noise. "Oh Jamie," He whispered,"You know that I'm only here to comfort you. With your mother gone, it's only a short time before your father decides to join her. Isn't it better to have someone who will help you?"

Tony felt rage build up inside him at the teacher's words. But, the man continued. "After all, your family won't be able to pay for a funeral now that you only have one source of income," He whispered, and pulled out a stack of 2,000 yen bills.

Jamie's eyes stared at the money in shock, before he took a step back. "No.. No I can't.." The teen croaked.

Furukawa sighed like a disappointed parent, and shook the cash again. "I thought you loved your mother," He sneered,"You want her body to just rot away and never get the proper burial it deserves? How selfish of you… No wonder your father never wants to be with you."

"You bastard!" Tony yelled, seething with an inferno of emotions. Neither figure reacted to his voice.

Instead, he saw tears began to tumble down Jamie's cheeks. There were a few sniffles, before it broke out into full blown sobs. He turned, burying himself in Furukawa's chest. Tony could feel the disgust that Jamie felt, but the teenager was so desperate for comfort, he would even hug his rapist.

Furukawa's dark smile returned, and he wrapped his arms very low on Jamie's waist. "It's alright, Jamie," He whispered,"Since nobody else will, I'll take care of you."

Tony could only watch in horror as the teacher's hands slid down, pulling down his pants as he brought Jamie's face up, and connected their lips in a bruising kiss. His other hand slid up the teen's shirt, pushing him against the wall. As they went farther and farther, Tony could only continue to watch in complete horror.

He felt so much pity and sadness for Jamie, the boy whose life was now his. He felt utter disgust and hatred toward Furukawa, for taking advantage of Jamie at such a horrible time in his life. No matter what, he would destroy everything that man held dear.

" _Why did I do it?"_

Tony gasped, looking around the memory in complete confusion. It was an echo-like version of Jamie's voice, but he saw nothing that could have whispered that. _Is Jamie watching this too?_

" _Why did I listen to him?"_

The memory began to melt away, like wax off a candle. "Jamie.." Tony whispered, watching the image of the teen vanish. "I won't let him get away with this anymore, I promise. I'll make him regret everything."

He watched Furukawa's face melt away, wishing that he could be the one to cause that, until darkness was all that could see.

* * *

When Tony woke up the second time, there was pain again. He groaned, and then froze. His voice was back to Jamie's, which by now was more familiar than his own. Tony relaxed for a moment, before he remember what situation he had been in.

His mismatched eyes snapped open, moving to sit up as fast as he could. Instead of being in the back of a van or a basement like he expected, he was in a… Break room? It had a few sets of chairs, a microwave on a nearby counter, and countless shelves of games nearby.

Despite the pain in his head, he sat up a little further. "What the…" He whispered, turning his head. That's when he realized he wasn't alone. His soft mutter had caught the eyes of someone nearby. It was a girl that looked about his- er… Jamie's.. _Ugh, fuck it, my age._ Who had black hair put in a high ponytail, with bangs and a little hair on the sides. She was wearing a striped black and white shirt, and light blue jean shorts with silver stars engraved on them.

When she saw Tony staring at her, she grabbed two silver sticks on her side, and stood up with their support. _Oh, those are crutches._ Tony realized, sitting up even further as the girl limped out the door nearby. "Hey! Atsuko! He's awake!" Her soft voice called out.

She returned seconds later with an tall, muscular looking teen. He had messy hair that reached his shoulders, and was wearing what looked like a retail uniform. The girl moved first, limping a little closer and saying,"Hey, you alright?"

"I… Think so?" Tony awkwardly muttered, ignoring the throbbing in his head. "What happened to me?"

"I saw you running," The tall Atsuko explained,"I heard the footsteps behind you. Pulled you in here, you fainted."

Tony was a little surprised by the blunt, montone way the teen spoke, but grateful nonetheless. "Thank you for helping me, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't pulled me in here," He replied.

The girl giggled a bit. "You would have gotten your ass beat, that's what would have happened!" She teased.

"Quite the charmer, aren't you?" Tony snarked in amusement, causing the girl to giggle and Atsuko to smile in amusement.

With the support of her crutches, the girl gave a little bow, and said,"I'm Murakami Chikara, and this is my friend Kaneko Atsuko, and you are Macintyre Jamie."

"You know me?" Tony questioned curiously.

Chikara scoffed. "Uh, yeah! Everyone at school does, especially after the stunt you pulled with Hamada and his girlfriend, there isn't a kid in school who doesn't talk about you! Some people even say that you jumping off the bridge gave you some kind of superpower!"

Tony internally winced, feeling bad for Jamie. "Well, I'll say that isn't the case. I just decided I was done with everyone's bullshit," He bluntly stated.

"Good," Atsuko stated,"Hamada was rude. Glad he's gone. Nanami too."

Chikara nodded in agreement. "They used to bully him, saying he was a girl and other things because he doesn't like violence. Could never hurt a fly. They also liked to take my crutches and hide them." She explained.

"Well, I'd still be careful. Iho is the one who attacked me, but I'm pretty sure he only targeted me because of what I did to him," Tony replied.

Atsuko looked like he agreed with that statement, and replied,"They searched for you for an hour. Never came in here-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Tony stuttered out," _Hour?!_ I was out for over an hour?!"

Chikara and Atsuko nodded, seeming confused by his worry. Tony gasped, threading his hands in his hair. "Oooooh my god, if my dad finds out he'll freak out!"

He jumped to his feet, stumbling as the world spun again. Atsuko quickly caught him as Chikara exclaimed,"Whoa, whoa! You're still kind of out of it, you're not leaving alone! We'll take you home. Atsuko's coworker can cover for us."

Tony was about to deny their help, but then he remembered how weak Jamie's body was. If there was another encounter, he knew he probably wouldn't escape from it. So, he smiled, and nodded. "Okay! But first, I need to stop at the store. I went out to get groceries, and I'll be damned if I let Iho ruin my dinner."

* * *

By some miracle, Tony and his new companions somehow arrived before Jamie's dad got back. Atsuko helped him get to the bathroom, where he watched off the blood, and to the kitchen, where he dropped the groceries and got ice for his head.

Just as he sat down, Alex walked out from the hallway. He froze at the sight of the two strangers, and turned his narrowed eyes to Tony. "Who are these kids?" He demanded in English, seeming to struggle between his rude self and plastic personality that he used around the family.

"Am I not allowed to have friends, big brother?" Tony questioned defensively in Japanese, not about to let Alex keep this conversation between them.

Alex frowned, looking rather annoyed with the response. He slung his black bag over his shoulder and started to walk toward the front door. "Where ya goin?" Tony questioned,"You'll miss dinner."

"I'm having dinner with a classmate, you nosy brat," He snapped in reply, the first half of the sentence was angry, but quickly morphed into a teasing tone. But the damage was done, Chikara was now glaring at him suspiciously, and Atsuko's frown had deepened. Alex may not have known it yet, but Tony already knew he had dropped out of school. The hole tha Alex was digging himself had just grown much deeper.

Alex didn't both to say goodbye as he left, slamming the door behind him. A moment of silence passed between them, before Chikara softly said,"He seems way too defensive about going to have dinner with a classmate."

"He's up to something…" Tony replied,"I just don't know what."

About twenty minutes later, Jamie's father returned home with a sleepy Lucy in tow. Tony quickly moved forward, taking the baby so that the man could place his stuff down and lock the door. Jamie's father quickly looked around, and asked,"Where's Alex?"

"He said he's having dinner with a classmate," Tony said, most likely only able to hold down his desire to put air quotes around the last word because he was holding Lucy.

Jamie's dad instantly looked saddened, and Tony knew why. He had been trying to work his schedule so that he could spend more time with them, and Alex seemed to be avoiding them.

Before Tony could even say anything, Jamie's father noticed the two other people in the household. "Oh! Who might you two be?" He asked curiously.

The two had moved off the couch and near Tony, bowing politely. "I'm Murakami Chikara, and this is my friend Kaneko Atsuko," She introduced.

"They're from school," Tony explained,"They're in class 2-2. I hadn't really talked to them before, but I ran into them while shopping and it turns out we had a lot in common!"

As soon as the teens finished explaining, Jamie's father became elated. "Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm Macintyre Scott!" He said excitedly,"Would you two like to stay for dinner?"

Chikara grinned instantly. "Well, I'm not one to turn down free food!" She said excitedly. While Atsuko softly replied,"If you wouldn't mind the intrusion, I would love to stay for dinner."

Jamie's father just smiled wider. "I don't mind at all! Please, make yourselves at home," He said happily, before heading back to the kitchen. Tony followed him, holding the sleepy Lucy in his arms.

When he got to the kitchen, the older man jumped in surprise. "Jamie? Oh- I'm sorry. Here, I'll put Lucy to bed. You go hang out with your friends," He said, picking up the little girl and walking off.

"Dad, I can help you with dinner if you need to," Tony offered, knowing cooking for sudden guests might be a bit difficult.

Jamie's father quickly cut him off. "No, Jamie," He firmly said,"Go have fun, be a teenager. I am a grown man, I can handle this myself."

"Dad-"

"Jamie," The man begged, blue eyes staring at him lovingly. "After everything that's happened, I just want you to be happy. _Please_ , go have fun."

Tony suddenly realized what Jamie's father meant. In his eyes, after being horribly bullied to the point of attempting suicide. Jamie was finally going out and making friends again, and it was probably all the father wanted.

The redhead didn't even try to deny him again, instead he gave a soft smile, and nodded.

When he returned to the living room, his two new companions were waiting for him. He hummed softly, moving to the television and grabbing one of the video games off the shelf. "Alright," He began,"Who wants to get their ass kicked in Street Fighter first?"

Chikara let out a snort, leaning forward eagerly. "Oh, you are _so_ on!"

When dinner came around, the group of four soon found themselves eating dinner with excited chatter, ranging from school to just random topics that sprang into their mind. Their nonsensical chatter made Jamie's father smile, and often times left him struggling to breathe after laughing so hard.

Tony felt his own body glow with happiness. He had friends, and with their help, he was making Jamie's father happy. His plans against his enemies were pushed away, because in that moment he only had one mission, to give the man hope.

And if an effect of that was that Tony grew more attached to those around him in the process, it wouldn't bother him one bit.


	6. Chapter 6

_Eighteen… Nineteen… Twenty_

Tony leaned against his bed, heaving deep breaths into his crying lungs. He had only done twenty push ups and yet it hurt so bad. Jamie's body was extremely out of shape and skinny, he knew it would take a long while to get his body even close to strong.

He had created a workout regimine, as close as possible to the one Natasha and Steve created when they had all been living in the tower. The thought of those happy times made his heart clench, but it washed away quickly.

"Hurry, Jamie! You'll miss breakfast!" Jamie's father called from within the apartment, and all thoughts of continuing exercise melted away. Well, he does need to gain some weight, so food was just as important. But then again, food was always important.

The redhead hopped to his feet, grabbing his school bag, and slinging it over his shoulder. Before he left, however, he grabbed a screwdriver he had found, and slid it into the furthest corner of his bag.

When he entered the kitchen, Jamie's father was placing food on the table, Lucy was babbling to herself, and Alex was nowhere to be seen… Again.

He slid into his own seat, beginning to scoop up rice with his chopsticks while Jamie sat across from him. Lucy stopped babbling for a moment, looking over at Tony. When his mismatched eyes met her gaze, she let out an excited squeal, reaching out for him with her choppy hands.

Tony was still a little surprised by Lucy's affection for him. Growing up, he was an only child. Having siblings was a whole different experience, but one he didn't hate. With a smile on his face, he exclaimed,"Lucy! Look at you, you finished all your food! You're getting so big!"

Lucy's toothy grin grew wider, excited babbles flowing out of her mouth as she wiggled around. Tony just grinned wider, proud he was able to make Lucy so happy.

He turned back to his food, and saw Jamie's father with a happy smile on his face. "I'm so glad you and Lucy get along so well," He said,"Alex has trouble even _holding_ her, she really doesn't like him."

 _Gee, I wonder why_. Tony thought sarcastically, finishing up his miso soup before he replied. "Where is Alex, anyway?"

"Oh, he said he was eating breakfast with some classmates today,' Jamie's father explained, a longing look came over his face. "I'm happy he's making friends, but I wish he would spend more time with us.. We are family after all."

Despite Tony's affection for the family he now had, he could not feel anything but hatred toward Alex. He knew the young man was up to something, and these lies couldn't be allowed to continue.

Tony continued to chat with the older man and Lucy until it was time for him to go to school. He left the apartment, going down to the lobby, and then he stopped. Looking around the lobby, he saw no sign of Alex or anyone who could stop him. He walked over to the mailbox, and pulled out the letter from Alex's university.

He knew Jamie's father always checked the mail before he went to work, and it might be his only chance to have him see the letter without Alex disposing of it. The redhead checked the tape he used to fix it, making sure the paper was readable, and then slipped it inside their mailbox. Once he was sure it was inside, he took off towards school.

* * *

Tony arrived at school early for a special reason which involved the screwdriver he had stowed away. As casually as he could, he wandered over to the teachers' room. When it was completely empty, he slid inside, tiptoeing his way around the desks until he found the one he was looking for… The English Teacher's desk.

He crouched down below the desk, using his screwdriver to loosen all the screws as much as he could while remaining unnoticeable. When he was done, he took the screwdriver, and shoved it back into the most hidden spot of his bag, hurried toward his homeroom.

School started off normally, except for the fact that Nanami was back at school. She spent half the class glaring at him, obviously still angry for getting caught. Tony simply ignored her. Considering she hadn't tried to attack him again, he guessed that she had learned her lesson and would simply leave him alone.

When the lunch bell finally rang, he was greeted by the beautiful sight of the Furukawa's bruised face and frustrated look. It took all Tony's self control to not send a smug smile towards the pervert. Such a small prank, and yet so satisfactory.

"Jamie!" A familiar voice called.

The teen turned his mismatched eyes and saw Chikara and Atsuko coming out of the classroom behind him. "Oh, hey you guys," He replied calmly, wandering over to his two friends.

Tony followed them into their classroom, taking a seat and pulling out his bento. Atsuko did the same, but Chikara yanked out a huge bento box from her bag. When she opened it up, she revealed a huge meal with with noodles, fish, meat, fried foods, and even two bunny rabbits made out of rice.

"Dear lord," Tony whispered in shock, watching the girl begin to dig into her meal. "You eat that every day?! Isn't that expensive?"

Chikara scoffed towards him, and said,"Uhh… Yeah? Besides, this is nothing. My parents run a publishing company, I get to eat this stuff all the time. You should see what my dinners look like!"

Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise, causing the girl to look at him in confusion. "You seriously didn't know?" She questioned.

"I thought you worked at the animal shelter with Atsuko," The redhead admitted, messing with his own food sheepishly.

The introverted Atsuko shook his head, quietly saying,"Ride home."

Chikara nodded in agreement. "We've been friends since we were kids, so we use my dad's limo to get to and from places," She explained like it was nothing.

Tony felt a bubble of amusement grow in his chest, and he began to chuckle softly. Chikara quickly noticed, put down her chopsticks, and asked,"What?"

"Oh no, it's nothing," The genius replied, turning back to his own lunch with a nostalgic thought drifting through his mind.

 _Well, now I know how Rhodey felt.._

* * *

They day seemed to drag on for a long time, and Tony was beginning to get antsy. Although he was determined to keep school a priority, he also wanted to go home and make sure Jamie's father had seen the letter before Alex could hide it again.

He said goodbye to his friends, and was half tempted to run towards the apartment in order to get some exercise in (and get there fast) when he was stopped by the science teacher, Mr. Watanabe.

"Jamie, may I speak to you for a moment?" The man asked, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

Tony was a little hesitant, considering his last experience with a teacher after hours. But, Watanabe was an incredibly quirky, albeit kind teacher who always encouraged students to do their best. His scrawny appearance wasn't that threatening, either. So, Tony followed the older man to the teacher's room.

The teacher began rummaging around his messy desk, muttering to himself as he pushed the papers aside. Finally, he released an excited noise as he found what he was looking for. "Aha! Here it is!" He exclaimed, turning back to the teenager, and handing him a paper.

The redhead looked back down at it, and realized it was the essay they had been assigned just a few days ago. "Jamie, your essay was amazing! The amount of information and ideas you had for controlling climate change and pollution are incredible! Some of these ideas are stuff I've never even thought of before!" The teacher praised.

Tony blushed, and shuffled his feet. Of course Mr. Watanabe wouldn't think of them, most the ideas he wrote about were things only JARVIS or FRIDAY heard him talk about. "Thank you sir, I just wish I had a way to test my theories," He admitted.

"Actually," The brunette replied,"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I am looking for students to help revive the science club, and I think you would be a perfect fit! Would you be interested!"

Tony's eyes widened in excitement. He had been practically starving for a chance to even touch something scientific, and science class was the closest he got. Joining a club dedicated to it would give him the change he had desperately been missing. "Yes! I would love to!" He exclaimed happily,"It sounds like so much fun! When can we start?"

"I have to go to a conference this week, but we can start next monday," Watanabe replied,"If your family is okay with it, we can discuss it in an after school meeting then. If you find other students who might be interested, I suggest bringing them too."

Tony agreed, wondering if Chikara and Atsuko would be interested in the club as he practically skipped towards the exit of the school. He knew Jamie's father would be excited too, and as for-

The redhead's thoughts came to a halt as he passed by the entrance of the gym. Furukawa's familiar figure was inside… With his arm around a blonde haired student in a soccer outfit. His eyes widened, quickly hiding behind the doorway.

Furukawa casually spoke to her, seeming to keep her attention away from his hand. It slowly slid down, moving down closer to the girl's legs. Tony felt his heart skip a beat… I have to do something!

He slammed his feet hard, running over to the two. "Mr. Furukawa!" He exclaimed as loud as he could. The two jumped, and looked over at him. Tony didn't even bother to glance at the girl, instead he focused right on the monster of a teacher. "I need to talk to you, right now!"

The teacher seemed confused for several moments, but then realization seemed to come over him, and a predatory smile crawling up his face. He then started forward, his arm grabbing Tony's shoulder and leading him out the door. "Of course!" He exclaimed, voice oozing with fake kindness. "I always have time for students."

He led Tony to one of the nearby classrooms, and pushed the sliding door shut. Though he may have tried to hide it, Tony heard the lock click shut.

They turned towards each other, and those dark evil eyes seemed to stare at him. "What can I do for you, Jamie?" He asked softly.

Tony didn't know what spurred him into action, but all other plans went away. He couldn't let Furukawa destroy anyone else when he had the chance to stop him. He grabbed the man's collar, and pulled him forward. Their lips connected, and Furukawa quickly wrapped his arms around Tony's torso.

When they pulled apart, the teen wanted to vomit, but he forced a smile on his face. "I remember now… I remember how you were there for me," He whispered as seductively as possible,"And I want that feeling back."

The victory in the bastard's eyes made Tony want to run, but he stayed strong. "Of course, Jamie," Furukawa whispered back. "I'm glad you've finally come to your senses… I think you deserve a reward, don't you?"

Tony smiled, leaning closer and hugging as tight as he could. "I'd love on, Furukawa-san~"

The teacher smiled, leaning forward to whisper in his ear,"Well then, I guess you'll just have to come home with me, huh?"

His heart dropped, and Tony found himself unable to say anything besides a single sentence.

"Yeah… I guess I will…"

* * *

Furukawa's apartment was completely, perfectly, and horrifyingly normal. The shoji doors leading to the bedroom were shut, Tony's shirt and bag dropped onto the floor by the queen sized bed the two males now lied on.

Even if Tony wanted to move, Furukawa's hands against his shoulders held him down, lips kissing against the side of Tony's neck roughly. Tony whimpered, every place the man touched burned.

His hand began to slide down, reaching toward the belt of Tony's uniform. Finally, his mind caught up with him. He grabbed the man's arms, and choked out a soft,"Wait!"

To his surprise, Furukawa pulled back the slightest bit. "What is it Jamie?" Furukawa asked in that same oozing tone.

"We… Aren't we moving too fast? Do you even have protection?" Tony stuttered out, desperate to stall for time.

Furukawa seemed to hesitate, a smile crawling up his face. He patted Tony's freckled cheek, and said,"You're right. I was just so excited, I didn't even remember! Let me go check and make sure I have some, or else we might have to reschedule your reward."

The man got up off of Tony, opening the shoji door, and shutting it behind him. As soon as he heard the footstep farther away, the teen jumped to his feet. He creeped over to the cypress desk, desperately rifling through the desk.

 _He's managed to do this to more than one kid, he wouldn't be stupid enough to keep things on a computer._ Tony thought, opening every drawer and digging through them. Then, he opened the cabinet connected on the other side. Nothing, nothing, nothing…

But then, Tony realized something. The shelf in the middle seemed to have a smaller width than the other two. He shoved the books aside, knocking against it. It was hollow, and had three screws keeping it shut. How could he pry it open in time?!

 _The screwdriver!_

He dove to his bag, yanking the screwdriver out and unscrewing the screws. He pried off the false bottom, revealing exactly what he had been looking for.

It was VHS tapes, DVDS, little USBs, developed photos, and even a camera. They were all labeled, including several that had Jamie's name on them. _That fucking monster!_ He growled in rage.

Footsteps broke through his thoughts, and Tony gasped. He couldn't let Furukawa get away with his crimes any longer. He grabbed his bag, shoving everything he could into it. He had the evidence he needed, now he had to-

"Jamie~"

The door slid open, and Tony whipped around just in time to witness Furukawa drop what he was holding. Rage exploded across the man's face. "You little RAT!" He screeched, running towards Tony at full force.

Tony grabbed the screwdriver, and was finally able to do what he had wanted to for weeks. He slammed it down into the man's shoulder, causing the man to screech in rage and pain.

The redhead shoved the man aside, running out of the apartment as fast as his long legs could carry him. He stumbled down the stairs, and onto the streets. He had no clue where a police station was, he didn't know where to go. All he could do was yell.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

* * *

It was around an hour later that a brunette foreigner burst his way into the police station, looking around frantically. When he didn't see what he was looking for, he ran up to the front desk. "Where is he?!" He demanded,"Where's my son?!"

"Are you Scott Mcintyre?" The officer calmly asked.

"Yes I am!" The man snapped,"Please, where is my son?!"

The officer closed a folder, before motioning for the man to follow him. They went to a nearby witness room, where the red headed teen was sitting, a fluffy blanket wrapped around his bare chest. As soon as the door opened, the teen jerked up, relief filling his mismatched eyes.

"Dad…" Tony whispered, jumping to his feet, and hugging the man as tightly as possible.

Jamie's father burst into tears, wrapping his arms around the redhead, and rocking him in the gentle, loving embrace. "Oh, Jamie," He croaked,"Why didn't you… I could have… W-why didn't you tell me?!"

Tony felt his own eyes burn with tears, leaning into the comforting embrace. "I'm sorry," He croaked,"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

His father shook his head. "It doesn't matter," He declared,"You're safe, he's locked away, and I'll be here to help you through everything, okay? I love you so much Jamie, everything is going to be okay now."

Tony merely nodded against the man, his shaking limbs beginning to calm down as he found himself starting to relax. The hug was warm, and the most loving thing he had felt in such a long time.

 _I did it, Jamie._ He thought proudly. _He's gone, he can never hurt us, or anyone else again._

And as the father and teen continued to hold each other close, Tony could swear he felt a third person joining them in the warm embrace..

* * *

Word spread around school and the news fast, and rumors were exploding all across the school. Although nobody knew all the details, the straight facts included the fact that Jamie was the one who brought the man to justice.

Tony, thankfully, didn't have to endure much interrogation from his friends. After getting aggressively asked if he was alright, Chikara simply declared,"He was a sucky English teacher anyways."

The week went on as normal as it could, considering the events that had been occuring around them. It was only when Tony was heading for the Science Club's first meeting that another peculiar event began.

Just as he was about to head up the stairs, someone grabbed his wrist. "Jamie, wait!" A frantic voice snapped,"I need to speak to you!"

Tony jolted the second the fingers wrapped around him, and jumped around as fast as he could. He found himself face to face with Nanami. She, however, didn't look as put together as she normally would. Her nails were chewed, bags underneath her eyes, and her roots were showing.

"What happened to you?" Tony sneered, instantly growing defensive. "And where are your cronies?"

Nanami didn't show any anger at all as she replied,"They're not my friends anymore." Her tone was filled with hatred, but not towards him. Suddenly, she threw herself into a bow at a ninety degree angle. "I'm sorry!"

Tony's eyes widened, utter confusion filling his head. "S-sorry…?" He questioned,"Wait… why?"

"That day… When you talked to Furukawa… I was the one he was touching," She whispered,"I had just broken up with Iho, and I was feeling horrible. He started talking to me and… Ugh! I can't believe I listened to him! He promised to comfort me and make me feel better. If you hadn't been there to stop him.."

The redhead suddenly realized what she was talking about. "That was you?!" He exclaimed.

"It was," The girl answered shamefully,"I… I was just so rude and mean to you… And you still saved me. I know I didn't deserve it, and if you had known it was me you probably wouldn't have saved me… But still… Thank you.. And I'm sorry."

Nanami turned, as if to walk away. "Nanami," Tony quickly called back, causing the girl to hesitantly turn back towards him. "Even if I had known that it was you, I still would have stopped him. Nobody deserves to have _that_ done to them."

The girl looked completely shocked, before a hesitant smile came over her face. "T-thank you, Jamie," She whispered,"You have no idea what that mean to me."

Tony could practically feel the sadness radiating off the girl, and really had no idea what else to do. So, he simply asked,"Hey, would you like to join the science club? We're about to have our first meeting."

Her brown eyes widened. "Really?" She questioned,"Y-you want me to join your club? After everything I did?"

"Everyone deserves a second chance."

His words seemed to go directly to her heart, as the same blinding smile came across her face. "I'd love to," She whispered through her tears.

Although her presence caused some tension for the members of the club, they soon realized that she was really there to be an active member. Even with that discovery, Chikara still had to test her.

"You know, Nanami, if you're gonna be part of our club, you'll have to fix yourself up. Imagine how we would look in a newspaper article if your roots were showing like that!" She teased.

Nanami didn't even flinch. "Actually, I'm going to let my hair go back to brown," She admitted,"Being fake isn't my thing anymore."

Chikara looked surprised, and then impressed by the answer. Less than fifteen minutes later, the whole club became actively involved with figuring out their schedules and meeting plans.

They left as the sky turned orange, and Tony found himself admiring everything around him. The gentle sound of the cicadas lulling him into a relaxing stroll, a smile covering his freckled face.

Things were finally tying together, and Jamie's life (along with Tokyo) was becoming better because of it. But he knew his work wasn't over yet… As he reached his home and began ascending up the stairs, he reminded himself of a very important fact.

Within that apartment, there was still one loose end to tie up.


	7. Chapter 7

_**IMPORTANT NOTE:**_

 _ **From now on, Tony will be referring to Jamie's father as his father. This is for several reasons.**_

 _ **1\. I'm lazy.**_

 _ **2\. He's much more comfortable with his situation now.**_

 _ **3\. #Jamie's father is a better dad than Howard ever was 2k18**_

 _ **Hope that clears up any confusion!**_

* * *

Tony pushed open the apartment door, making sure to shut and lock it before he turned to head towards his room. He didn't even take a step before he noticed the suitcases by the door. The genius also noticed that each one looked full. "What is this for?" He awkwardly asked to no one in particular.

"For our trip!" His father exclaimed, moving from where he was feeding Lucy. He handed the spoon to the little girl, whose wide blue eyes stared at it in awe. The older man, meanwhile, continued,"After everything that happened recently, I think we all need some time to relax. So, we're going to spend the weekend at Enoshima!"

Lucy- who had an incredibly good sense of timing for an eight month old -let out an excited cry, swinging her legs back and forth as she babbled on about nothing. Tony felt a smile climb up his face, letting out his own gentle laugh.

The genius then motioned towards the child, and said,"Well, I think we really have no choice now. Lucy is super excited to go! So am I!"

His father grinned, relishing in the sight of his son joking around again. "I'm glad you both are excited!" He replied,"We'll be leaving in an hour or two, so you can relax a bit and grab anything you need."

Tony nodded, moving to grab his book bag again when he noticed that there were only three suitcases. Instantly suspicious, Tony turned his mismatched eyes back up to his father. "Where's Alex's suitcase?" He questioned.

"He's not coming," The older man declared firmly, eyes filled with betrayal. Tony instantly knew what was going on. It seemed that the letter had indeed caused some tension between the two of them.

The redhead knew he couldn't just blurt out that he knew. So, he innocently- but hesitantly -asked,"Why? Is… Something wrong?"

His father sighed, shaking his head dejectedly. "I don't know how to say this, but…" He softly began,"Alex was pretending to go to college for several months but he wasn't, and kept taking the money I gave him for tuition for other things. I only found out because someone gave me the letter his school was sending him."

"That's horrible!" Tony exclaimed, faking shock the best he could despite the happiness growing in his soul.

The older man nodded, running a hand through his short brown hair. "Because of his actions, Alex is not coming with us anywhere. This is the last time I'll give him a chance like this," He declared.

 _This has happened before?_ Tony thought curiously, unashamed of how happy this made him feel. At least now he knew that Alex wasn't as innocent as he attempted to act around the teacher, _and_ that his father knew about it.

"Well, I'll miss him during the trip, but he does have to learn his lesson," Tony innocently responded, to which the older man nodded pridefully as he turned back over to Lucy.

Tony's smile grew even bigger, and he felt excitement filling him. Not only about Alex's punishment, but about the trip. The longer he stayed, the more he felt like they were actually his family.

Despite the amount of money Howard had, they never went on any family trips, just business deals or hunts for Captain America. A few times, when Tony hadn't wanted to be forced to work or put on a press smile, Howard would pretend they were going to go on a family vacation. It always ended the same, though, with Tony being forced to do the exact things he was trying to avoid.

He knew that this time it would be different, and he couldn't wait to go on his first real family trip.

His father eventually left, returning with their rental car, and the small group piled in. They drove towards their destination, while Tony looked out of the window at the passing scenery. As time went on, he felt his eyelids start to droop,and he fell into a restful sleep.

* * *

 _When Tony opened his eyes, he was back in his old body, and standing on the edge of a pier. He frowned slightly, but recognized what was happening almost instantly. He was getting seeing more memories._

 _Turning his brown eyes toward the scene in front of him. He saw a small Jamie toddling next to a taller, younger Alex. Next to them was a younger Scott, whom was looking over the pier with them. And next to him… Was someone Tony only saw in photos. Her hair was long, lucious, and the same red as Jamie's. It was their mother, Ellie._

 _Tony watched Alex gasp, shoving Jamie away to point towards the water. "Momma! Look, I see some fish" He exclaimed, practically wiggling with excitement._

 _Jamie glared towards the older boy, while Ellie gently helped the younger up. "Alex, I know you're excited, but you do not hurt your little brother," She abdomished, making the brunette blush in shame._

 _Tony was surprised Jamie glared. Considering how Alex was able to boss around Jamie all the time before, it sent confusion through the genius. Then, it hit him. "When Ellie died… So did his bravery?" He thought curiously._

 _Of course, he got no answer. Instead, the memory continued on. "Oh! Kids look!" Their father exclaimed, pointing at the floating white things in the water._

 _Jamie and Alex leaned over the rail, staring curiously but obviously not understanding what they were looking at. "Was' dat?" Jamie asked in a squeaky, innocent tone._

 _"Those are Moon Jellyfish!" Their father exclaimed,"They're my most favorite ocean creature in the whole world!"_

 _Ellie chuckled, leaning against her husband as the children stared at the jellyfish with wide eyes. "Whoa…" Alex whispered,"There's so many!"_

 _Jamie's interested died away quickly, and he quickly turned back to his parents. "Wha bout' mommy?" He questioned._

 _Ellie smiled, kneeling closer to her son. "My favorite?" She asked, making a thoughtful noise. "Hm… I think it would have to be the Longhorn Cowfish."_

" _Cowfish?" Alex asked.''_

 _The woman grew a mischievous look in her eyes, and said,"Yep! They're yellow and shaped like cheese! And their lips look like this!"  
_

 _She puckered her lips, and then smiled again. "I like to think that they're always trying to kiss someone, like…. This!" She leaned forward, placing a huge kiss on the younger child's cheek. "Mwha!" Ellie then turned over, giving Alex the same playful kiss. "Mwah!"  
_

 _Both children giggled, and Ellie continued to press kisses for a few moments before pulling the giggling children into a hug. Jamie's happy squeals touched Tony's heart, while the child nuzzled even closer to his mother. The love shared between them was beautiful… And completely ruined when Tony noticed the burning hatred Alex had in his eyes toward Jamie, glaring over the shoulder at his younger brother._

 _Even when they were young, Alex hated Jamie. Tony frowned, feeling a protective emotion flow through him once more. But, he wrenched his eyes away from the little bastard, and instead focused on Jamie's happiness, and the loving smile on his and Ellie's faces as the memory slowly faded away._

* * *

His eyes blearily blinked open once more just as they pulled into the Enoshima Nagisa parking lot. His father had parked the car and was just opening Lucy's door to unbuckle the sleeping toddler. The genius sat up, looking over at them.

Their father seemed to notice the movement out of the corner of his eyes, and a smile instantly climbed up his face. "Well, hello there sleeping beauty!" He exclaimed,"Woke up just in time!"

Tony gave a smile in return, climbing out of the rental car. Instantly, the gentle wind flowed past him and the smell of the sea filled his sense. He took it all in as he stretched out his long limbs, happy to finally be free of the car.

After he finished stretching out, he turned towards his father. "So, what is the plan for today?" He asked curiously.

"I was thinking that you two might like to see the aquarium here!" The older man said, blue eyes glowing with excitement. "I heard they have penguins, seals, and tons of fish! They even have my favorite-"

"Moon jellies," Tony interrupted wistfully.

The man gasped, wide eyes turning to stare right at his son. "You… You…" He stuttered out, but not managing to form any other words.

"And mom's favorite was the Longhorn Cowfish," Tony continued,"Because it always looked like they wanted to kiss someone."

For a few moments, nothing was said, but Tony could see the tears building up in his father's eyes. "You remembered?" He croaked softly,"You're remembering things?"

Tony lowered his gaze a bit, but allowed a small smile to climb up his face and nodded. Jamie's father instantly grew a giant smile on his face, and moved forward, pulling the tall teen into a loving hug.

The man pulled away a few moments later, and said,"You know, I think the aquarium would be a great start!"

Tony followed after the man he had come to see as a father, and Lucy with a warm feeling in his chest. Helping the family was one of the most fulfilling jobs he'd ever had, and he knew that he'd never quit.

* * *

"Ishy! Fishy!"

Lucy squealed happily in Tony's arms, reaching out for the jellyfish swimming in their sphere. Her wide blue eyes stared at them in utter awe, and the genius couldn't help but laugh.

"No, Lucy. These aren't fishies, these are jellyfish. Jellies. Can you say… Jellies?" The redhead enthusiastically asked. "Jellies?"

The little girl stared at Tony, her face blank for several seconds. Then, a huge grin exploded on it, and she threw her arms around his neck. " _Nii-chan!_ " She squealed in Japanese.

Tony snickered as he cuddled the girl closer. "It's okay, we have plenty of time to work on your marine biology vocabulary later," He teased, rubbing her back.

His father smiled next to them, still staring at the jellyfish with interest. "Aren't they magnificent creatures? It's incredible to think that they don't even have brains!" He declared excitedly.

Feeling a mischievous desire grow in his chest, he leaned over and whispered,"And even without a brain, they still function better than some kids at my school!"

The man jerked back, snorting with laughter at Tony's joke. "Now young man, you respect your peers!" He teasingly snapped, before whispering back,"Even if it's true."

Tony giggled again, while Lucy picked her head up to see what the commotion was. The girl looked around, noticing a nearby sign. "Ah! Pins! Pins!" She exclaimed,"See pins!"

"Pins?" Tony queried, looking towards where the girl was pointing. He saw a familiar picture of a webbed feet, flippered bird. "Oh! Penguins! She wants to see the penguins!"

His father smiled. "She's always been obsessed with penguins, it was the first stuffed animal I got her," He said nostalgically, and then motioned towards the entrance. "Go ahead to the penguins, I'll stay here with the jellies for a while."

The teen nodded and walked away, heading over to where he saw the little birds waddling around. The second Lucy was able to see them, she let out an excited cry. "Pins! Pins!" She exclaimed again.

"I know!" Tony agreed,"It's the penguins! And you know, Lucy, sometimes the male penguins take care of the egg, like daddy does for you and me!"

"Oh! It's cool that you know that!" A new voice said. The genius turned his head to see one of the other guests smiling at him. He had short black hair, and excited brown eyes.

Tony smirked, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "I just know a few things here and there, not really an expert," He explained honestly,"My sister just really likes penguins."

"Well, who wouldn't? They're pretty adorable after all," He replied, looking towards the little chicks that were trying to waddle around after their parents.

Tony made a hum of agreement, but noticed the underlying sadness in the worker's voice. "Is everything… Okay?" He questioned.

"It's just sad…" He replied,"I'm sorry, I know you're here to have fun, but I just can't help but worry. With how bad global warming and pollution is getting, the penguin population could be half of what it is today."

Lucy continued to babble, not even aware about his sad words. Tony curiously asked,"Seriously?"

"Yeah," The young man said,"They're ingesting plastic thinking it's food, or their food has ingested plastic. This has been affecting all kind of marine creatures. That plus the ice melting is making things get worse every day!"

Tony waited until he stopped to question,"Are you wanting to study the ocean or something?"

The young man nodded. "Yeah, but I'm worried there won't be much to study by the time I'm done with University. I wish someone could do something.." He whispered softly,"But it just seems like everyone is just ignoring the problem."

"It's a really big issue too. It sort of seems like maybe everyone doesn't care or is too scared to try anything," Tony agreed, gaining a firm nod from the young man. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Manami Kaito," The young man answered,"I'm really sorry for complaining to much, but I just wanted someone who understood."

"Don't worry, Manami," Tony replied,"I completely understand. And I know for sure that one day, someone will come up with a way to save the ocean."

Manami looked extremely thankful for his words, and they both turned back to the penguins. Tony watched the creatures, but his mind was on something else. _In fact… I already have a few ideas._

* * *

"Okay… Picture this!"

The three members of the science club and their teacher watched Tony with interest. He stood in front of the whiteboard, a drawing of a complicated looking contraption was displayed on it.

"The ocean and its ecosystem is getting more and more polluted," Tony explained,"Photodegradation is making plastic turn into smaller and smaller pieces, animals are ingesting it, it's even getting in our fish market! It's a huge problem that has to be fixed!"

He pointed to the strange contraption. "And so… I have come up with an invention to help! It is small, so it can get through the water and find the plastic, and either destroy it or collect it. If we amass a large enough army of these, and they work, we may be able to remove the smaller particles and be able to focus on something for fixing the issue of large plastic debris!"

The group was silent for a bit, before the teacher chuckled. "If I didn't know any better, Mr. Mcintyre, I'd have said you've done this before!" He exclaimed,"That was a very good pitch for a very good idea!"

"How would it work?" Nanami asked curiously, scribbling down some notes in her own. The girl admitted that she never cared to pay attention in class before joining them, so the science teacher was helping her by giving her extra credit for any notes taken in the club.

Tony pondered this for a few moments. "Well, I have a few ideas. One would involve lasers that can dissolve them, or a storage device, or maybe a liquid inside them that can dissolve the microscopic plastic?"

"That last one sounds awesome!" Chikara exclaimed,"Maybe it could have a mouth to get the plastic, and then dissolves it? Sort of like stomach acid!"

Their teacher nodded. "Of course, we would have to come up with a way to make sure it only gets the plastic and not water." He reminded.

"And that it's safe for the ocean creatures," Atsuko mentioned quietly.

"Oh! I think I have an idea!" Nanami suddenly exclaims. "What if it has sections?"

"Sections?" Tony questions.

Nanami lowers her hands, growing a thoughtful look on her soft face. Then, she snapped her fingers and grabbed a marker. She made a quick drawing of the prototype Tony had drawn earlier, and makes different lines across it.

"What if we have a net right in the front, then something to clear out the water, and then the dissolving agent. C-could that work?" She asked nervously, turning her eyes toward the group. It was the first time she had ever input into their little projects.

Tony grinned ear to ear. "That sounds awesome! I think that could work! We'll definitely have to make a few prototypes" He praised her, causing the girl to smile with happiness.

"But how will we fund it?" Atsuko asked curiously.

Chikara waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, we'll do what kids in American movies always do, have a fundraiser!" She declared.

"Ooh yeah!" Tony replied excitedly,"Like a bake sale or something! Maybe during the club fair?"

"These are all great ideas, and we'll all definitely work on it... staring next time," The science teacher interrupted,"It's time for the meeting to end, we'll pick it up tomorrow, alright?"

The students slumbed a bit in sadness, but began to clean up the classroom as they were instructed. Tony took pictures of all the things they had written down or drawn on the whiteboard.

As he finished up, he heard a soft voice behind him. "Jamie, can I ask something?" Atsuko's deep voice reached his ears.

The genius turned around, mismatched eyes looking at the tall man. "Sure, what's up, big guy?" He asked curiously.

"If this thing works… It'll help the oceans and every animal in it," He pointed out,"Do you think… We could make things to help other animals too?"

Tony was not surprised at all by the question. The more he hung out with Atsuko, the more he realized how much the teen loved animals. "Of course we can, Atsuko," He said,"I'm guessing you have a few animals in mind."

Atsuko nodded. "There are two animals at the rescue that I really want to help…" He explained,"Maybe you could visit them and see what you think we could do?"

He saw the nervous, but hopeful look in the teen's eyes. Tony didn't know why he was afraid, there was no way Tony was going to say no. He smiled, and declared,"Sure! How about after a meeting I go with you and meet these two!"

A soft smile came on Atsuko's face, bigger than the usual ones he gave. "That sounds great, Jamie," He softly said in excitement,"Thank you so much!"

Tony gave the taller a thumbs up, and they both went back to clearing up their things. Tony couldn't help the curiosity that suddenly overcame him. He wondered what animals Atsuko wanted him so see…

* * *

Tony exited the school last, and was surprised to find his father waiting for him, holding a penguin hugging Lucy in his arms. "Hey Jamie!" He called.

"Oh! Hey dad!" Tony exclaimed, quickly skidding to a stop. "What's up? I thought you were waiting for Alex to come home."

The smile on the father's face went away. "Well, I was trying to but he hasn't come home yet… " He explained as they started to wander down the street.

To Tony, this was suspicious. When they had gotten home the night before, Alex hadn't been home. He still wasn't home in the morning, he hadn't shown up for work, and now he wasn't at home while their dad waited for them. WHat was he up to?

The three wandered for a bit, and even Lucy was surprisingly silent. Then, the man nervously asked,"Do you think I was too hard on Alex?"

"What?! No!" Tony exclaimed, whipping around and coming to a stop. "Dad, why would you think that? He stole thousands from you and lied! I thin your punishment was perfect, considering what he did."

The man still looked hesitant, and sighed. "I know, I know," He breathed,"It's just… Alex has been acting differently ever since… Since your mother died. I just wanted to help him feel better and make a bond with him… He always was more attached to mom."

 _I already knew that._ Tony almost sneered, thinking of the dream he had earlier in the weekend. But, he shook those thoughts away. "Dad," He firmly stated,"It doesn't matter. What he did was wrong, you just have to realize that. He won't learn anything if you let him keep going without consequences."

They continued walking, and his father let a soft smile grow on his face. "You know, you're right Jamie," He replied,"Sorry for dumping all this on you, but you're right. He just has to face the consequences of his actions!"

Tony put a big smile on his face, nodding in agreement. He was glad that his father understood, and he could only hope that Alex might actually learn his lesson.

* * *

The second they opened the door to their apartment, Tony knew that wouldn't be the case. Alex was sitting on the couch, a wide grin on his face. His brunette brother then walked over, hugging their father tightly. Lucy instantly began to cry in between them.

"Dad! I'm so glad to see you! I need to give you something!" Alex's fake caring tone obvious to only Tony.

The young man then took off back to his room, and Lucy was handed to Tony, who moved closer to the kitchen to watch. When Alex returned, he had several stacks of cash. "Here you go!" He said,"All the money!"

Their father was shocked. "W-what? How did you get all this so fast?!" He demanded, wide blue eyes turning to his son.

"Why do you think I've been gone all weekend?" Alex answered,"You and Jamie were right, what I did was… Abhorrent, and wrong. So, I've been working all weekend to get the money back."

The young man then put a guilty look on his face, wringing his hands. "Could you ever forgive me for what I've done?" He croaked out.

His father instantly went from shock to love. He wrapped his arms around his son, rubbing a comforting hand on his back. "Don't worry, Alex," The man declared,"I forgive you, thank you for working so hard."

Alex hugged him back, and whispered,"Thank you so much, dad." Then, they pulled away. Alex's blue eyes looked right towards Jamie, a smug smile on his face.

Tony kept a loving smile towards him, but inside he was fuming. Any doubts he had about his suspicions towards Alex were completely gone. That bastard was up to something, there was no other way he could have gotten all that money so fast.

"This calls for a celebration!" Their father said, heading towards his room. "Everyone get dressed up, we're going out for dinner!"

Alex's expression darkened the second the door was shut, and he turned to Tony. "Nice try, Jamie," He sneered,"But I'm steps ahead of you, and I always will be."

The young man then turned and practically flew to his room, leaving a hate filled genius behind. He had gotten away with it again, and had the gall to brag about it to the very person trying to stop him.

Alex seemed to think he was safe, but he had no idea what Tony was capable of.


	8. Chapter 8

"WHAT?!"

Chikara had leapt up from her seat, holding onto the table for support, he wide brown eyes staring towards Tony with disbelief. "So Alex just… Got away with it?" She questioned incredulously.

Tony frowned, toying with the lid of a his bento as he gave a nod. His eyebrows furrowed, mismatched eyes trying to burn a hole through the offending container. "Alex had to have done something to get all that money so quick, but dad just doesn't see that," He explained,"He just wants us to all be a happy family, it's been hard for him."

Atsuko, Nanami, and Chikara exchanged a look of frustration and concern for their friend. The large teen then moved forward, asking,"What are you going to do?"

"He won't believe me unless I have evidence," Tony explained,"And the best way to do that is to catch him in the act; He can't deny anything then."

Chikara nodded feverishly, her eyes gleaming with mischievous excitement. "Yes! Get some of those microscopic cameras and track his every move! Plant microphones on his clothes!" She exclaimed.

Nanami rolled her eyes. "Not all of us are as rich as you, Chikara," She teased good heartedly.

"Well Jamie's pretty smart, I'm sure he could invent something for it, right Jay?" The young woman replied, turning over to look at Tony with an expectant look.

Tony smirked, and proudly declared,"Of course I could… If I had the right materials. I'm not a rich kid, like you Chikara."

The girl's smug face turned into a betrayed one at Tony's teasing. She leaned back, placing a hand over her heart. "You wound me, Jay!" She fake sobbed,"And for that, you are no longer getting a share of my caviar."

The genius chuckled, the warmth in his heart growing stronger. "Well, I can think of worse things," He teased once more.

"I'd rather eat dog food," Atsuko added,"Gourmet meal compared to those fish eggs."

The group laughed as Chikara fell into another rant, simply enjoying the company of their friends. Atsuko then turned to Tony, softly saying,"That reminds me, could you help me with the animals today like I mentioned?"

Tony nodded. "Of course I can, what are friends for?"

Chikara threw her chopsticks at his face as she screamed,"Friends. don't. insult. CAVIAR!"

* * *

After school, Tony followed Atsuko to the animal shelter to see the two animals that Atsuko had mentioned earlier in the day. The shelter was filled with meows, barks, yips, and the occasional screeches.

"They're back here," Atsuko said, heading to a green colored door. There were several bird cages inside, although most of the birds were relaxed and only watched them curiously. However, Tony could see two large, tall items covered by blankets. _Gee, I wonder which ones I'm here to see…_

Sure enough, Atsuko gently pulled the blankets off the cages. Instantly, two violent screeches echoed through the air. In the first cage was a cockatoo who had a pink tint to their white feathers, it's crest was raised all the way up, revealing the salmon colored feathers hidden in it. It's feathers were ruffled like popcorn, wings spread out, and beak open in a wide screech. Tony noticed it had several patches of feathers missing.

The second was a macaw who was very much in the same defensive position, except for the ruffled feathers started red at the tip of the beak and then melted into an orange color, the tip of the wings and long tail a gentle blue. Wait.. When Tony looked closer, he realized that the poor creature only had one wing. The other was nowhere to be found.

Atsuko backed away, making their screeches calm down the slightest bit. "They're a salmon crested cockatoo and a camelot macaw. A friend of their owner brought them in to save them. I guess that their owner only bought them for show, and got angry whenever they needed anything. The camelot lost his wing because a wound got infected and we had no choice but to amputate it. They're extremely aggressive with everyone, even the other birds."

Tony frowned, watching the birds closer. The looks in their eyes, he knew them well. They were betrayed by the one they should have been able to trust the most, and now they were scared of what others may do.

It hurt Tony's heart, because he knew exactly what that felt like.

He turned to look at the taller male. "So they were with the same owner? Different cages or same cages?"

"Same cage, but it was a really small one," Atsuko said,"I took it apart as soon as I could, so they never have to see it again."

His words suddenly gave Tony an idea. He watched the cockatoo a minute more, noticing how his eyes seemed to flicker towards the camelot's direction; He seemed to be looking for the other bird.

Tony slowly moved forward, and the screeching started once more. He placed his hands on the camelot's cage, ignoring the bird's attempts to bite at his fingers. Then, he slowly pushed the large cage until it was right next to the cockatoo's. Afterwards, Tony stepped back again.

The birds' screeching suddenly stopped, and feathers slowly began to calm down. Then, the Camelot leaned forwards, pressing his beak against the cage bars, and releasing gentle noises. The cockatoo did the sake, the bears as close as possible, and made the same small noises back.

Atsuko, shocked, turned towards the redhead with gratitude in his eyes. "I never even _thought_ of that…" He whispered,"Thank you so much, Jamie, you have no idea how much this means to me."

Tony smiled, feeling a swell of pride rise within him. "Just remember, it's not going to fix all the damage. They need time, effort, and comfort." He said.

Atsuko nodded again, giving the redhead a big smile; Then it turned into a sheepish one. "Do you… Think you can come back and help?"

Tony blinked, surprise etched onto his face. "Really? You and your boss wouldn't mind?"

Atsuko shook his head. "No, I wouldn't mind at all. In fact, I think they'd like that too," He replied, motioning to the cage once more.

Sure enough, when Tony looked back, he saw that the two birds were staring right at him. Their eyes seemed curious, and Tony found himself wondering exactly what they were thinking…

If he hadn't already made up his mind, those eyes would have made the choice for him. He turned back to Atsuko, and gave a firm nod. "I would love to!"

* * *

Tony returned to his home in a good mood, a spring in his step. He had a good day at school, the club was going well, and for some reason helping those birds had been the icing on the cake.

Just as he turned the corner, Tony found himself scrambling to a stop. Alex was outside, standing by a rusty looking van. A large man with a big jacket and a cigarette. They were talking casually, but in hushed tones at the same time.

Tony slunk back, leaning as close as he could and listening to the conversation as best he could. They were talking too quietly for Tony to catch much, be he heard words like 'Meeting Place' and 'The stuff'

Finally, after five minutes of listening, Tony heard Alex say,"Alright, by then I'll have the stuff and see you then."

The van then stuttered a bit before it turned on, pulling away from their apartment building and driving around the corner. Tony waited until he could barely see it before he casually turned the corner. Alex was still there, stuffing a white envelope into his pocket. When his blue eyes caught sight of Tony, the turned to ice and a large frown appeared.

Tony made sure to put a wide, innocent smile at his face and wave happily. Alex quickly grew confused and frustrated at the reaction, and quickly stormed into the house. Tony's innocent smile morphed into a satisfied smirk.

 _Enjoy this little game of chess while you can, Alex. Because sooner or later, I'll hit checkmate._

* * *

Two Weeks Later

* * *

Some time had passed, and Tony found that his life was getting busier. Not only was he working on schoolwork and keeping an eye on Alex, but he was helping out Atsuko with the two birds.

Tony didn't really understand it, but the birds seemed to be growing fond of him. At first, he simply sat next to them and talked. They sat as close to each other as possible and watched him from the back of their cage, but slowly began moving forward. Atsuko was ecstatic, and was hoping that Tony would be able to get them feeling safe again very soon. And, even though Tony wouldn't admit it, he was hoping too.

Another time consuming event was working out. Whenever he had free time, Tony was trying to follow the Avengers workout routine to the best of his ability. Due to his arc reactor and age, the workouts had been more difficult for him and he often had do sit out. Now, once again the age of a teenager, he finally had a chance to be in shape. Not only that, he was finally getting results.

Jamie's body had gone from lanky to lithe with some actual muscle definition. He knew others noticed the change as well, considering that the bullies who used to taunt him, Chikara, Atsuko, and Nanami seemed _much_ less eager to do so. Oh yeah, and punching one of them hard enough to make them hit a nearby wall also helped.

Although all of those were time consuming, Tony found that one of the most eventful thing happening was in the science club. Finally, finally they were getting results with the little robots. And it was finally time for them to have their first genuine test.

Tony practically ran to the science room, ignoring the clunking of the plastic bin in his bag. He slid the door open, only to freeze in hesitation. Next to Mr. Watanabe was a man who looked about the same age, maybe a little older with salt and pepper hair and beetle black eyes.

"Oh! Here's the genius now!" Watanabe said, motioning to Tony. "Jamie, I'd like you to meet a colleague of mine, Pierrot Tucker!"

Tony quickly bowed politely. "Pleasure to meet you, sir. I would introduce myself, but it seems that you already know who I am," Tony joked.

Mr. Tucker released an amused chuckle. "Ah! You remind me of Shou when he was your age!" The man said in very accented Japanese, it sounded like a French accent. By the way Mr. Watanabe blushed, Tony guessed that he was this Shou that Mr. Tucker spoke of.

"When I heard of the project you young ones had started, I couldn't help but ask to watch!" The doctor cheerfully continued.

Chikara, who Tony hadn't hear come in, answered,"Well we'll be sure to impress you like crazy, sir!"

Mr. Tucker smiled, and it seemed that her words had been exactly what he had been hoping to hear. The small group looked at each other, determination glowing in their eyes. In that moment, they realized they had a lot to prove.

* * *

They took about two hours to get everything ready. They filled a tank with water, got their little gray, flat prototype (made of recycled metal and wires) ready, and cut up plastic into varying sizes to try and their fishing net. Then, they placed a goldfish they had bought from the pet store inside. Atsuko was worried about it getting harmed, but Tony assured him that the fish would be fine. Mr. Watanabe also allowed them to use his laptop to run the robot's program.

Finally, everything was set up. Tony began to turn on the bot, and Atsuko dumped in the plastic. Then, Nanami and Chikara dropped the little robot into the water, and Tony turned it on.

All of them watched with bated breath as the robot slowly began to scan the water. Tony's mismatched eyes constantly shifted from the code to the robot. Finally, he whispered,"It's seen the plastic"

Then, the blue laser came out, hitting a rather large piece of plastic. They all held their breath, watching as the piece of plastic slowly dissolved into nothingness. Then, the robot shuddered and shut down. The little fish continued to swim, completely unaffected by what happened.

After a pregnant pause, Nanami let out an excited squeal, jumping up and down. "It works! It really works!" She exclaimed.

Chikara and Atsuko joined her cheers- one much louder than the other -and Tony felt a wide smile crawl up his face. Of course, the genius never had a doubt that their project was going to work; But seeing it in action, and seeing the excitement of his friends, made it the most amazing thing he had ever built.

" _Quel_ _génie!_ " Mr. Tucker exclaimed, leaning so close to the tank his nose almost touched it. "Shou, you told me these children were good, but not _how_ good! This.. This is genius!"

Chikara, surprisingly, was the one to modestly reply,"Not really, Mr. Tucker. Jamie is the real genius! He built the robot, made all the calculations, and even programmed it!"

Tony quickly hurried over, grabbing her hand. "But you guys helped design it, and figure out what ideas worked best! You all even decided on the laser and what formulas to use! It was a team effort, a damn good one too!"

Mr. Tucker exclaimed some more in French before turning to them. "Just another reason you are all incredible! Please, this cannot remain simply a prototype! We must help it gain the attention it deserves!"

Mr. Watanabe hummed in agreement, typing something on his computer. "You know, Tokyo University has an annual science fair, the news always covers it very well. Maybe they'll let us have a booth?"

The group of teenagers all nodded eagerly, eyes glowing with hope and excitement at the prospect of being in such an event.

Watanabe grinned and said,"Well, I'll get started on calling them right away! You guys clean up and then you can all head home. Be sure to tell your parents about what's going on, okay?"

* * *

The teens didn't complain once while cleaning up the classroom, too excited about their possible participation in the science fair to whine about sweeping. It took longer than they expected to finish up, but they all said goodbye and headed out with a spring in their step.

Tony walked down the streets, his own heart glowing with pride much like the setting sun he was watching. That's when his phone buzzed, catching him off guard. He pulled the phone out, noticing that he had a voicemail from his father.

He pressed the play button, bringing the phone up to his ear. "Hey Jay! I'm guessing you're still at school, but I just wanted to let you know that I'll be staying late or possibly overnight here because of our meetings, but don't worry! Alex offered to stay home and watch Lucy, he said to take all the time you need. Love you!"

Despite his father's cheerful tone, Tony felt fear and dread fill his bloodstream. Something was wrong, Alex was planning something, doing something. Tony knew something was wrong.

Run! His voice- but it wasn't his voice- yelled in his head. Stop him, stop Alex! Don't let him get away!

Tony took off, running as fast as he could and weaving through the crowds as fast as he possibly could. He had to get home he had to! He had to stop Alex!

It might be his only chance.

* * *

Tony skidded to a stop across the street of their apartment building. His mismatched eyes locked onto the scene, heart dropping. He saw the same rusty van along with another, smaller car. There was a muscular man and scrawny man with tattoos all over their arms coming out of the stairwell, carrying items that Tony recognized from their house.

Although Tony was growing angrier by the minute, the flames were quickly snubbed by confusion when he saw the scrawny man stomp around the corner. He then kicked the metal trash can that he hadn't seen before, yelling,"Shut the fuck up!" Then, he stomped away once more.

Tony backed away a bit, scurrying across the street towards the trash can. As he got closer, Tony realized that something in the trash can was crying. He lifted the top off of the can and gasped.

"Lucy!" He whispered frantically, pulling the sobbing, grime covered baby out of her prison. He held her against his chest, cooing softly and rocking her. _Alex, you bastard! This is your baby sister! Where is that fucker!?_

Just as the little girl began to calm down, the scrawny man swung around the corner once more. "I said, SHUT-"

The trash can that the baby had previously been in rolled forward, slamming into the man's legs and sending him face-first into the ground. He didn't get up. Tony noticed a gleam on the ground net to him. A switchblade? Aren't those illegal?

A gasp caught his attention, his mismatched eyes recognizing their neighbor, an old woman named Misaki. Her hand went over her mouth. "Oh my! What-"

Tony hurriedly handed her Lucy, and said,"Please, call the police! I don't know what Alex and those guys are trying to do, but it isn't good!"

The old woman nodded, and scurried back into her apartment. Tony watched her go, making sure they were both safe before he grabbed the switchblade off the ground. A plan was already formulating in his mind.

The genius quickly snuck over to the cars, waiting until the muscular man had gone inside before he began to use the switchblade to help remove the protective cap over the valve stem, and remove the valve stem as carefully as he could. The tires began to deflate, and he made sure to hide the caps.

When he got to the second car, he was carefully undoing the valve when the car door to the van slammed shut. He jumped, the knife stabbing the tire and releasing a loud noise as the pressure suddenly escaped.

"Hey!" A voice yelled, and the muscular man ran around the corner. "You! What the fuck are you doing?!"

Tony's mismatched eyes widened, a horrified squeak escaped him, and he quickly scrambled onto the hood of the car and then the roof. Narrowly avoiding the man's hands, Tony leapt onto the top of the van, which creaked and wobbled under the sudden weight.

The man followed, trying to grab the teen. Once again, Tony jumped up, grabbing the balcony of a nearby balcony. A meaty hand grabbed his leg, sending jolts of panic through him. He grabbed a nearby potted plant, slamming it against the man's head, and sending him to the ground screaming in pain.

Deciding that the stairs were a bad idea, Tony climbed all the way to his balcony and leapt on, kneeling down and tugging the door slightly. _Good, it's unlocked._

He carefully slid the balcony door open, noticing that the only person was a tattooed woman staring constantly through the peephole.

The redhead crept forward, until he was right behind her. He tapped her left shoulder, making her turn around to try and find out who had touched her. Quickly, he shoved open the door, pushing her out into the hallway, and slamming the door shut, locking and latching it.

She frantically pounded on the door, but Tony ignored her. He snuck over to his room, listening. Nothing… He went to Alex's room. Nothing… Then, he went to their father's door. This time, he heard mumbling, muttering.

"So, you know where your dad keeps his savings? And you're gonna take it all?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

"He didn't hide it very well!" Alex's snide tone answered,"Now shut up! Once I crack this code, I can give all this money to you guys! Then, I can finally be a part of the yakuza!"

Tony's eyes widened, backing up. It all makes sense now… The money, dropping out. He was trying to join a crime organization!

"Yeah, yeah, okay," The voice answered, and the door was pushed open, Tony waited for a second before he threw himself against the door as hard as possible. It swung back, slamming into the person on the other side so hard Tony was pretty sure he heard a crack.

Tony swung around the door, eyes locking onto a shocked looking Alex. The surprise, however, quickly morphed into morphed into a murderous rage.

"You fucking brat!" He yelled,"Why do you have to ruin everything I'm trying to do?! Why did you have to come into this damn world?!"

"Ruin?!" Tony sputtered,"You bullied me constantly, you lied, you stole from dad, and now you're trying to rob us blind and join a gang! Please, enlighten me, how is any of this my fucking fault?! What am I ruining?!"

"MY LIFE!" Alex yelled,"Why couldn't you have just killed yourself properly?! You were a mistake, don't you get it?! You were never supposed to be here!"

Tony frowned, confusion overflowing his mismatched eyes. "W-what are you talking about?" He demanded.

Alex sneered, and pointed at the teen. "Mom and Dad only wanted one child. Bt then, they got pregnant with you. When you were born, they didn't do the smart thing and get rid of you. Then, they had Lucy. You TOOK THEM FROM ME! You're both fucking mistakes, trash! Why am I the only one who sees that?!"

Tony advanced forward. "I may have been a mistake, but it was in no way my fault," He pointed out,"Alex, please. Big brothers are supposed to protect and help their siblings. What would mother think? _Please_ , rethink what you're doing. Give us a chance!"

For a moment, Alex's eyes seemed to soften. He moved forward, reaching out to Tony. Tony reached out as well, desperate to avoid more violence. But then… That was exactly what he got.

A flash of silver went through the air, and a knife embedded Tony right in his chest. He screamed, stumbling to the ground in shock. Above him, Alex's icy blue eyes stared down at him. "The only chance you deserve is the chance to die." He declared.

In that moment, Tony realized that Alex as beyond saving.

Alex would kill him… With no regrets.

Tony scrambled back, trying desperately to run. But the man's foot slammed down on his calf, pain exploding through him. Several more blows hit him, several more slices across his skin, but it all seemed to pass in a blur.

Then, his legs were pinned, and arms wrapped around his neck. They squeezed, and Tony gasped frantically, scratching at Alex's face, trying to run, trying to struggle, but he couldn't get away.

Alex spoke, but Tony couldn't heart it. The blood rushed in his ears, pain throbbing through his whole body, and black floating into his vision. Tony kept fighting, he couldn't stop, he couldn't let Alex win! But in the end… Everything faded away. Strangely enough, as things went black, he thought he heard his father's voice...

" _What did you do?! What the fuck did you do to him?! Oh my god…"_

" _Jamie! JAMIE!"_

* * *

When Tony opened his eyes, he sitting on a wooden pier, and staring at an endless ocean and clear blue sky. Within the waters, there was moon jellyfish floating all around. Tony frowned, staring at the jellies with confusion. _Where… Am I?_

"Thank you…"

Tony jumped, whipping around to see a familiar lanky form staring at him. It was Jamie, but before Tony had gotten in shape. The scrawny body and pale form looked miserable, but he was smiling. Tony turned, looking at his own reflection. Unlike the last time he had been in a dream such as this, he wasn't in Tony Stark's body… Instead, he was still Jamie.

The real Jamie moved, sitting next to him on the pier with his legs dangling underneath him. "I never knew why Alex hated me and Lucy…" The voice Tony had come to recognize as his own whispered,"And not only that… You stopped him. You stopped everyone! The bullies, Furukawa, _everyone_. You did what I never could."

Tony frowned despite the praise, looking at the teen. "Am I… Dead? Did I die?" He asked, his voice seeming to bounce and send ripples on the water.

Jamie shook his head. "No, you're still alive," He answered,"I just needed to talk to you, and thank you; Thank you for fixing everything."

The redhead closed his eyes, releasing a happy sigh. Tony, however, wasn't happy. "If everything is fixed, then why don't you come back?" He asked.

Jamie frowned, turning to look at the genius. Nervously, Tony continued. "It was my body that died, not yours. I shouldn't be here, I should have been the one that died. I shouldn't have stolen your life." He finished.

The teen sighed, placing his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Tony, you shouldn't have died. I had made my peace that night on that bridge, I wanted to die," He declared,"If I had lived, nothing would have changed. You've done what I couldn't do. Dad is happy… So is Lucy. Chikara and Atsuko are the happiest they've been in so long, and Nanami is finally around friends that don't care about popularity. That was all you, you did that."

Tony blushed, lowered his head to look at his lap. So, Jamie continued. "And… I have a feeling you don't want to leave either. Don't act like you don't, I know you do. Why do yo think you aren't in your old body here? In your mind, you've become part of my family. And you're right, you're family. Mom thinks so too."

Tony's eyes widened at the mention of the woman whom the whole family seemed to love. "Oh," He whispered,"I think… I understand."

Jamie nodded softly, and nervously stuttered,"I-It may seem selfish, but I can't go back. I've been with all the family I lost, in a place of peace, and you've helped them all more than I ever could. And… You helped me the most. Just now, when you stopped Alex, you got rid of the last thing tying me to Earth. I can finally move on properly. You have no clue how much this means to me."

Tony saw the true feelings Jamie had, the happiness he held at the thought of finally moving on. The genius sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes, and nodding. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," Tony promised,"I'll take care of dad and Lucy, I'll take care of our family."

Jamie smiled even wider, his scrawny arms pulling the other man into a tight hug. "That's all I could hope for, Tony," He whispered, rising back onto his feet. He then walked down the pier, and into the bright light. Tony saw a woman with fiery red hair waiting for him. She and Tony gave Tony a small wave, before they wandered off into the bright light beyond the pier.

Tony stood up too, and wandered to the edge of the pier. Somehow, he knew what to do. He jumped into the water, watching as the moon jellyfish seemed to surround him. When they touched him, something seemed to fill his brain.

 _It was… memories! Jamie is giving me his memories!_

Tony quickly opened his mind more, accepting the information that Jamie was giving him. Soon enough, Tony's own vision was surrounded by the beautiful jellyfish, all giving him the memories of the life he now had. Birthdays, riding bikes, learning to read, schooling, bullying, the jump from the bridge. Everything.

Then, the jellyfish came to surround him, his own vision going completely white.

* * *

This time, he awoke to a slight throb of pain, the beep of a heart monitor, and the sobbing of a familiar person.

Tony's eyes blinked several times, clearing his vision. Sure enough, the man at his bedside, holding his hand, was the sobbing form of his father.

"Oh Jamie… I'm so sorry," He croaked, sniffling and wiping his eyes, head lowered towards the dirty tile ground.

Tony felt a warmth fill his body, and he softly croaked,"Sorry for what, dad? I don't think you were the one that stabbed me…"

His dad gasped, jerking up to stare wide eyed at the redhead. His eyes then began to flow with tears again, tumbling down his cheeks. "Jamie!" He exclaimed, gently gathering the brunette into a hug. "You're okay! You're okay!"

Tony felt his own eyes burn with tears, his tired arms going to weakly wrap around the other man. "I'm okay dad, we're both okay," He whispered, before leaning into the man's shoulder and bursting into tears.

As they held each other close, two brand new stars in the sky shone their beautiful, bright lights down on them. Tony noticed these new lights, and found that the glee in his heart became even stronger.

Finally, everything was over.

Tony was safe, and so was his family.


	9. Chapter 9

"...And your injuries were three stab wounds, internal bleeding, some major bruising around the arms and neck, the broken leg, and a concussion," The doctor explained to him and his father. "The stab wounds are stitched but I would like them to close before we release you, you will be on crutches for a few months.

"Oh, and I'd prefer if you didn't speak much or at least not loudly, as your choking event was severe and really dug into your neck. Luckily your trachea is alright after something like that. You're a very tough kid"

Tony nodded, his hand unconsciously rubbing at the bruising around his neck. It was deep purple, and very obviously in the form of handprints. "Thank you for taking such good care of me," He began sweetly,"When can I get out?"

The doctor laughed, rolling his eyes. "Trying to butter me up, are you?" He asked,"Well good luck, because you're sick in here for a couple weeks at the _least._

The redhead pouted, slumping, and shrugging half heartedly as he muttered,"It was worth a shot."

The doctor laughed again before he left the room, and the professional presence was soon replaced with another. This time, however, it was a police officer.

"It's good to hear that you're feeling better, Mr. McCintyre," The officer said, pulling up one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs to take a seat in. "My name is Officer Kiroku. I'm sorry to pester you so soon but we would like to get your statement as soon as possible so this can be an open and shut case, and- hopefully -you won't have to appear in court, since we'll have your statement and the camera footage. Do you mind?"

And so, Tony did. He explained to the officer everything Alex had done to him, including the insults and threats when he came back to the apartment. His father looked shocked and upset at the many things Tony mentioned, and the genius could see the puzzle pieces finally falling into place.

After he finally finished, the officer turned off the recording device he had. "Thank you, Jamie," He began,"Not just for the statement, but for what you did with those cars. If you hadn't deflated to tires, we wouldn't have been able to catch them. I have no idea how you managed to do that, but thank you."

Tony couldn't help himself, he smiled with pride. The cop smiled back, and then slyly said,"You know, you would make a pretty good cop."

The genius chuckled. "Thank you for the offer, sir," He answered,"But, I think I've done enough hero work for _two_ lifetimes _."_

* * *

After the officer left, Tony settled back in the hospital bed with a happy sigh. When he turned to look at his dad, however, his smile fell. His father's face was completely wracked with guilt.

"Dad?" He asked softly.

The man didn't look at him, instead he softly said,"I should have listened to you. I should have listened to _anyone._ I knew Alex was up to something… Well, at least I did in the back of my mind. But I ignored it…"

Tony frowned deeper, reaching out a hand. "Dad, you couldn't have guessed," He explained,"He had you all fooled, and he was your son-"

"Alex isn't my son," The brunette firmly stated,"He lost that title the moment I realized who he truly was. I only have one son, and that's you."

The genius wanted to feel some kind of pride at the statement, but all he felt was sadness. His father was hurting, and trying to process just how much Alex fooled him. It was tearing him apart...

Tony, feeling desperate to help his father, hesitantly mentioned,"You know, dad, I remember now. My memories are back; I remember everything."

Those blue eyes widened, jerking up to stare at the redhead. "You do?" He croaked.

Tony nodded cheerfully. "Everything! I remember it all! Like when I was eight and we went to Disney Tokyo for my birthday, or how when Lucy was born you kicked that nurse out of the hospital room. I remember everything!"

The older man's eyes burned with tears, and he quickly hugged Tony as gently, but as quickly, as he possibly good. "Oh Jamie! I'm so happy for you!" He exclaimed, kissing the teen's cheek in an extremely motherly move.

"Although," His father continued,"I wish that it could have happened under better circumstances."

Tony, unable to help himself, teasingly answered,"You're right, I'll tell the next home invaders to reschedule it to next Wednesday."

His father froze for a moment, before bursting into laughter. "Okay, you little smartass," He replied playfully.

"Hey, like father like son!" Tony teased back, letting the man hug him a little tighter, and enjoying every second of it.

* * *

Two Weeks Later

* * *

"Jay to the A-M-I-E!"

"Hi Jamie!"

"Hey Jay."

His glee was overflowing when he saw his three friends coming through into his hospital room. "Oh thank god!" He exclaimed, sitting up in the bed and reaching out for his friends. "I'm going stir-crazy in here! Please, help me escape!"

Atsuko shook his head, giving his friend a look of pity. "Sorry, Jamie, we can't do that," He answered.

"But… We can do this!" Nanami whispered in a conspiratory tone, reaching into her back and pulling out a rolled up bag of McDonalds. Tony gasped in excitement, taking the bag from the girl with a thankful smile.

"We also brought your homework," Atsuko mentioned,"So you won't get behind on work, but that can wait until later."

He gave the tall teen a thankful smile, and opened the bag up, placing some of the delicious salted potato sticks into his mouth and moaning happily. "You are all angels!" He complimented.

Chikara smiled proudly, plopping into the seat next to him. "Well we're about to become saints in your eyes, Jay!" She continued,"Mr. Watanabe told us today that we got a booth in the science fair! We'll all get to be in it, including you!"

Tony felt his heart soar. "Hell yeah!" He cheered,"This calls for a celebration! Fries for everyone!"

He pulled everything out of the bag, handing it out. Everyone excitedly took their share, eating and chatting together. At one point, Tony's nurse wandered into the room. His brown eyes widened at the sight of all the food, and the four teenagers froze; hoping that if they didn't move, they may not be seen.

The nurse them smiled, and whispered,"I don't blame you, and I didn't see anything." He then turned, and wandered out of the room.

The teens all sighed in relief, looking at each other with wide grins. "Well," Tony said,"I guess you're not the only angels here today, huh?"

* * *

One Week Later

* * *

After another seven days of checkups, horrible hospital food, sneaky snacks and homework from his friends, Tony was finally cleared to go home.

They wheeled him out to the car, setting him in the front seat. His nurse then said,"Be sure to not use that foot as much as possible. You'll come in for checkups and physical therapy, so I'll know if you're doing anything your not supposed to."

Tony quirked an eyebrow at the ironic statement, before nodding. "Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid," He answered,"It's too much work."

The nurse smiled, before turning his eyes back to Tony's father, who was buckling Lucy in the back. "Scott, you have the hospital's number if you have any questions," He began, those chocolate orbs flickering towards Tony for a moment before he said,"And- um.. My cell phone number? You have it too?"

"Don't worry, Tenshi, I do!" The brunette answered quickly,"You know, in case of… In case I can't get ahold of the hospital!"

 _You are both really bad at excuses…_ Tony decided as the nurse walked away. Just as his father pulled the car out of park, Tony sneakily asked,"So, first name basis with the nurse?"

His father blushed, accidentally yanking the car into neutral out of surprise, and quickly explained,"W-well, you know… Three weeks in the hospital, we've had enough time to talk."

"Mmm hmm, okay," Tony replied, deciding to drop the subject and focus on the ride home.

He calmly watched the scenery roll by, only to frown when he noticed that they had just passed by their apartment complex. "Um.. Dad?" He awkwardly said,"We just- Um.. We just went right past home?"

"No we didn't," His father cryptically said, and didn't say anything after that. He just continued driving, but Tony saw an excited smile climb up his face.

After a few more minutes of driving, their car stopped in front of a two story house with a smaller shed on the left side of the house. It had cream walls and a black roof, a cream colored wall fence with a black gate and a bigger gate on the other side where a car could go.

His father stopped in front of the gate, opening it up with a button on his keychain, and pulling the car in. Finally, what was going on clicked in Tony's mind. "Wait-"

"Welcome home, Jamie!" His father exclaimed, smiling excitedly at the kids. "We bought a house!"

Tony stared at the house in shock for a moment, before growing a wide smile on his face. "We did?! Oh dad! This is awesome!" He exclaimed.

With his amazing dad powers, the man somehow managed to hold Lucy and help Tony limp into the house on his crutches. After the door opened, Tony didn't even care if he caught flies, his jaw was dropped the entire time.

In the entryway, there was an area to take off your outdoor shoes and put on indoor shoes (Tony somehow managed to slip on the one he could wear). It led to a living room and a guest room.

The guest room was located on the first floor, near the main entrance. It had a big closet and some other things for visits. It could also be used for parties and some special days on the Japanese calendar.

The living room had two couches that face away from each other and a small table in the middle. There was a TV already hooked up to their video game systems. It lead to the dining room and had a door to the first floor bathroom.

The dining room consisted of a large mahogany table covered with a cream table cloth. The kitchen located next to the table included a stove, a microwave, a sink and a refrigerator. There was also a large black shelf filled with plates and cups. It lead to the backyard and the laundry room.

The laundry room was a small room used to wash clothes. There was a large washing machine and baskets to hold clothes. They was an area where clothes could be hung out to dry in the backyard, which was actually a good size even with the shed in it. The wall fence was also made large by the wooden fence on top of it.

Back in the house, they took the stairway up to the second floor. There was a family phone was located nearby as well as large phone books.

Down the hallway was four doors. Three were bedrooms, and one was the second floor bathroom. There was a small balcony that connected two of the rooms and overlooked the backyard and the alleyway behind it.

When they came back down to the living room, Tony felt tears fill his eyes. The house may have been tiny compared to what he had lived in before, but it was warm, cozy, and… Perfect. He had never had such a thing, a family home.

Unable to handle himself, he turned and hugged the man again, sobbing happily. "It's amazing!" He choked out,"It's perfect!"

His father managed to keep ahold of both him and Lucy, comforting the crying teen for a couple of minutes. After a pregnant pause, he softly said,"You know, Jamie, you're the reason we have this house."

Tony sniffled a bit, looking up at the older man. "I am?" He croaked.

"Yeah," The man continued,"If you hadn't stopped Alex from stealing all those things in my room, I would have lost the savings I had been keeping to buy this place. I had been keeping it a surprise, and you saved that surprise!"

The redhead couldn't help but grin with pride, glowing with his achievement. He then gave one last, tight hug, kissed his sister's pudgy cheek, and pulled back onto his crutches.

"You know, this calls for a celebration!" Tony exclaimed,"What do you think, let's break in that new kitchen!"

His dad instantly groaned, throwing his head back. "Hell no," He, in English, declared,"Setting everything up in time already had me exhausted. Let's just order a pizza!"

Tony raised one crutch up in agreement. "Even better!"

* * *

One Month Later

* * *

The four teenagers wrung their hands, looking around at the crowd of people around them. Even Tony had to admit, he was a little nervous. It reminded him a lot of his days at MIT, everyone was VERY serious about their projects. And, considering they were in their high school uniforms, it was easy to tell that they were _not_ in college.

"Do you think we should check his wires again?" Nanami nervously asked,"Maybe tighten the screws?"

Chikara sighed, slumping over. "Nanami, if we tighten his screws anymore he won't be able to move," She pointed out.

Nanami sighed again, rubbing at her arms. "I'm sorry… I can't help it, I've never been to one of these things before," She squeaked out, looking towards Atsuko, who was watching the three goldfish in their tank with interest.

Tony tapped on the table, too tired to climb onto his crutches. "Hey, it'll be okay," He reassured,"We made this robot, and we did a damn good job! Let's let everyone know!"

The other three nodded, grins overcoming the nervous frowns on their faces. And so, they put on their act. They went through their environmental reasons and showed how their little robot worked. Soon enough, they were gathering quite a lot of attention.

On their sixth demonstration of the device, a couple of men and women in suits joined the group. They managed to clear their way through the crowd, and one of them asked,"You're the high school group, right?"

"Yes sir, that's us," Atsuko answered, standing to his full height after he finished checking on the fish.

The suit-clad group turned to each other, whispering for a couple minutes. Then, they turned back. A woman said,"We know that we only promised you a booth, but you all have impressed us greatly. How would you feel about presenting your project on stage?"

They were all so shocked at the request that all they could do was nod excitedly, eyes wide, and skin pale.

"Good!" The woman continued, brown eyes happy. "Just choose a presenter and decide what you're going to say. You'll be presenting at 5:30, okay?"

Once again, the doe-eyed group of teens could only nod, watching the judges wander to the next booth. They remained in that shocked silence for several long moments, and then Chikara let out a shocked squeal.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed,"I didn't- We… I'm not ready for this! What will we do? What will we say!"

Atsuko looked down, wringing his large hands. "I've never been a good public speaker," He nervously muttered.

"I mean.. I could try but I don't think I can remember all of it!" Nanami frantically squeaked out,

Tony quickly pushed himself onto his crutches, firmly stating,"Don't worry, you guys. I'll do it! I'll, obviously, need you guys to carry everything up there."

The trio gave him a hesitant look, turning back to each other before Nanami asked,"A-are you sure?"

Tony smiled, giving a firm nod of determination. "I'm positive, Nanami," He replied,"Besides, this isn't the craziest thing I've had to do, right?"

* * *

Word spread that the high schoolers were getting to present their project, and there was quite a crowd in front of the stage when their time came. There was also a camera crew, which made Tony a little nervous. But, he kept firm with his decision to give the speech. Atsuko and Chikara helped him set up the tank with the fish, and Nanamie got the computer program ready.

The school was kind enough to give Tony a microphone he could attach to his ear, and when the clock read five-thirty, the redhead took a deep breath and began his speech.

"We are in a crucial part of our world's life," He started,"Teetering off the cliff of no return, when our planet won't be able to save itself from what we've done to it. We need to act NOW. So, my team and I have created our robot. With him, we will have the chance to clean our oceans of all the trash we've put in it!"

They demonstrated their robot, and watched the awed faces of the crowd when they realized that the plastic was completely gone and the fish were perfectly unharmed.

Once he had their attention again, Tony said,"With these robots, we will be able to help clean the ocean. But, they can't be the only ones. We need to all work together to save our planet, because we don't get a second chance. So, consider our little robot as a big step towards a brighter future!"

The crowd erupted into applause, the judges and camera crew looked pleased, and the group of teenagers smiled at each other. They knew they had done amazing. So, with the pride glowing in their chest, they gave a polite bow to the crowd.

However, as Tony bowed, his eyes caught sight of an american man in a suit… He looked an awful lot like…Coulson?!

Tony jerked up, looking towards the corner he thought he had seen the man… But he was gone. The teen frowned, shaking his head the slightest bit. _It's nerves… I'm just nervous, that's it._

"Come on, Jamie! They're going to announce the winners!" Chikara exclaimed, practically yanking him off of the stage to follow him back to their booth; Atsuko and Nanami following close behind.

Tony frowned, looking back at the empty corner confusedly. Still, there was nothing. _I'm just seeing things._ Tony decided, and went back to the booth with his friends, listening to what the judges said, and pushing the image of Phil Coulson to the back of his mind.

* * *

6 Months Later

* * *

"So, who am I meeting?"

The teenager smiled, leading his father and baby sister into the animal rescue with excitement. "You're meeting the two birds I have been helping Atsuko with," He explained,"They're finally doing better around other people, so now you can meet them!"

They walked into the animal shelter, getting to the back room easily since Tony was now a familiar face in the area. The instant they entered the room, they were greeted; Not with screeches, but with happy trills and squawks.

Tony instantly lit up, heading over to the large cage that now housed both the Camelot Macaw and the Moluccan Cockatoo. They quickly climbed over to the door, growing more excited as Tony came to their door. "Hey you guys!" He greeted.

He opened the door, reaching his arm in. The Camelot quickly hopped on, growing quite comfortable. He scooted up to Tony's face, rubbing his shiny beak on Tony's cheek. The cockatoo climbed up Tony's other arm, beginning to preen the teen's messy red hair.

His father watched the teen with a happy look, while the little girl in his arms happily exclaimed,"Birdie! Dada, birdie!"

"Yes! They are birdies! Very pretty birds too!" The older man cheerfully said,"Do the pretty birdies have a name, Jamie?"

Tony made an affirmative noise. "Yep! I named them a couple weeks ago," Tony explained, and lifted up the cockatoo a bit. "This one is Merlin, since he's the older of the two and the braver one."

Then, he lifted up the one winged Camelot. "And this is is Archimedes, or Archie for short," He explained, a quirk coming onto his lips. "I was going to name them after scientists but I kept thinking about how Archie is a camelot macaw and I couldn't help myself."

"I think those names are perfect," His father declared,"They seem to like them too, almost as much as they like you."

He motioned back to the birds, who were now both preening the messy red hair as they released little chirps.

The owner of the shelter, a rough looking old man, came in with a soft smile on his wrinkled face. "Your son is a godsend, Mister. Those birds never trusted anyone no matter what we tried, then he came along and bonded with them in ways none of us ever managed to."

Tony blushed at the praise, and softly said,"All I did was push their cages together, they just are thankful for that."

The old man shook his head. "Don't fool yourself, kid," He declared,"Birds usually only emotionally bond with one person during their lifetime. Even though we were doing the exact same things, they bonded with _you_. They only trusted us after you showed them we were okay."

The teen blushed again, and sheepishly relented,"Yeah, I guess that's true."

The father's face then turned thoughtful. "So… Birds only really bond closely with one person, and they bonded with my son?" He asked curiously.

The teen hesitantly nodded, and the old man calmly said,"Yes, they did. Why do you ask?"

His dad's blue eyes grew thoughtful for a long moment. Then, he snapped his fingers. "Well, then that settles it. We're buying the birds!" He exclaimed.

Tony's eyes widened, and he managed to stutter out,"W-wait, really? You really mean it?!"

His father smiled wider. "They love you, and it's obvious you do too," He pointed out,"And you deserve it, especially after you won that science fair! Excuse me, sir? How much would the birds and their supplies be?"

The old man was beaming wider than Tony had _ever_ seen before, and he replied,"Considering all the work your son has done for them and us, I can cut down the price considerably. Granted, I'd still like his help whenever he has time."

Tony turned to the man, heart glowing with happiness. "You don't have to worry about that, sir, I'll be here to help no matter what!"

Less than an hour later, Tony carried the two birds into their house, setting up the two large cages close to each other. He put in all the toys, letting the two birds sit on top of his desk and look around.

Once he was finished, he turned to the two birds, rubbed their heads, and said,"Merlin, Archimedes, welcome home!"

Tony, hearing a noise, turned to find that his father was standing in the doorway, watching the birds curiously.

Feeling gratitude for the man, since he got to keep the birds, Tony crosses over to the door and took his hand. "Want to pet them?" He asked hopefully.

His dad's face filled with concern, but Tony gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, they won't bite you, I know they won't," He promised.

Slowly, the man held out his hand near the birds. Merlin's crest rose a bit, while Archie backed up a little. But, his father didn't get scared. He gave a little, hopeful grin towards the bird. Once Merlin saw that smile, he leaned his head forwards, lowered his crest, and let the man pet his head.

Archimedes soon also began rubbing his head against the father's hand, although he needed Tony's hand near to feel safe.

Noticing this, Tony's father said,"They really do love you, Jamie."

Tony looked back at the birds and smiled again, rubbing Archimedes' head and Merlin's chest. "Yeah," He agreed,"And I love them too."

He had been able to save the birds, and help them learn to love again, give them a second chance, give them a good home. It was an opportunity he got, and an opportunity he was glad he could give.

* * *

It was a couple of months later that Tony's life got a little interesting. He had been sitting on his bed, drifting off into a much needed rest when…

 _BANG_

He jolted up as Merlin and Archimedes screeched in shock, flapping violently in their cages. Tony quickly jumped over to his balcony, sliding the door open and looking out.

Instead of an intergalactic warlord or an angsts god with a staff, he saw a turned over trash can with remains of fireworks next to it and a few teenagers.

 _Are you serious?_ Tony thought, extremely annoyed at having being practically panic attacked awake and having his birds scared. But the last straw was when he heard his little sister crying through the other sliding door.

He knelt down, grabbing one of the toys that had been left out on the balcony. It was a little broken, and obviously wasn't in very good condition. _Lucy won't miss it, she has other toys to play with._

Tony wound his arm back, aimed, and then threw as hard as he could. The little toy slammed into one of the teenager's backs, who cried out in surprise. "What the hell? Who did that?"

The redhead didn't respond; Instead, he grabbed two more and threw them at the others. The teens let out squeals again, and one turned to look where the toys came from. "Up there!" He called.

The one Tony hadn't hit yet stood up bravely, and yelled,"HEY! You wanna mess with us?!"

As soon as he finished, another toy hit him square in between the eyes. The group then squeaked in fear and yelled,"Let's get out of here!"

Tony smiled, satisfied. He then went to the two year old's bedroom, and lifted her out of the toddler bed. "Hey, you're okay, you're alright," He cooed, rocking her a bit.

The child continued to sniffle, so tony gently asked,"Hey, sweetheart. Wanna see the birdies? Will that make you feel better?"

The two year old sniffled, nodding the slightest bit. "Yeah," She croaked, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck.

Tony smiled, crossing back over into his room, turning on his lights, and pulling the blanket off the bird's cages. "Hey Merlin, Archie," Tony softly whispered,"Lucy came to say hi! Lucy, say hi!"

"Hi!" Lucy said, growing more excited by the minute. Merlin instantly reacted, raising his crest all the way up, while bobbing and swaying his head. Lucy giggled even more, waving her little hand. "Hi birdies!"

Merlin squawked again, swinging his head a little more while Archie made a few happy noises. Tony smiled, glad that the birds seemed to like Lucy so much, and asked,"Are you feeling better now, Lucy?"

Lucy nodded, keeping her blue eyes on the two birds. Then, between the chirps and baby babbles, Tony heard the sound of a door opening, and whispers downstairs.

Feeling his nerves rise up again, Tony crept down the stairs with a mixture of fear and curiosity. As he got closer, he heard the whispers.

"Scott, are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes, Tenshi. Jamie and Lucy are asleep."

"Are you going to tell them about… _Us_ soon?" The first voice asked.

"I will, I just.. I need to figure out what to say…"

Tony leaned around the corner, and saw the familiar figure of his father and… Tenshi, the nurse from the hospital. Instead of the normal scrubs, he was wearing a navy hoodie with a white hood and a violet shirt underneath it with some blue jeans that went perfectly with his chestnut hair. His dad was in a similar outfit, and they were sitting at the dining table… Holding hands.

"Dad?" He softly asked, causing the two adults to jump, turning around in surprise. Tenshi's brown eyes widened, and his father quickly jumped up.

"J-Jamie!" He croaked our,"I um.. This isn't- Well, it is. But I I'm.. I can explain!"

Tony tilted his head slightly, shifting Lucy in his arms. "Okay…"

His father exchanged a nervous look with Tenshi, and then turned to Tony. "Me and Tenshi have been… dating… Since you got out of the hospital," He admitted,"I never really had extra work meetings, I was just going on dates with him. I never thought I would fall in love with anyone other than your mother… But with Tenshi, it just felt right. I knew I could trust you to watch Lucy, but I just didn't know how to tell you. I didn't know how you'd react, or if you thought I was betraying your mother… I'm so, so sorry..."

Tony cleared his throat, refusing to let the man continue. "Don't you dare say that, Dad," He ordered,"I love you, and so does mom. And I know mom, she wouldn't have wanted you to stay alone forever. She'd want to see you happy, and so do I! We're family after all. Plus, I think Tenshi is a pretty good choice."

His father sighed in relief, and Tenshi blushed all the way to his ears. Then, the brunette brought Tony into a hug. "Thank you son, you have no idea how much this means to me!" He whispered.

Tony smiled, leaning into the older man's arms as he had become accustomed to. Little did his father know just how much the whole situation meant to Tony.

* * *

Time went on, and life went on. Tony was now eighteen, getting ready to go to University, and winning several science fair along the way.

Lucy was now four, and in her second year of preschool. Although many parents looked at her with worry, they soon found that the child had a pretty good grasp on Japanese.

Their father had gotten a good promotion, becoming the main professor at the university he taught at, and his relationship with Tenshi was going amazing. Despite a bit of awkwardness at first, everything had begun to turn out great.

When it was close to summer, their father suddenly decided that they were going on a weekend trip. He invited Tenshi, who was able to use some vacation days, to follow them.

They went to some beautiful hot springs, enjoying their time as a family and the green trees that surrounded the place.

The weekend seemed to go by so fast, but it got slowed down by the most beautiful event Tony had ever been privy to.

Near the suns rise on sunday, they took a hike to the forest, and up to a hill. At the top, you could see how the trees went on for miles. The group of four simply stood, watching the glowing light rise above the trees in awe, until Tony caught something out of the corner of his eye. His dad was reaching into his pocket!

"Tenshi," He began,"I'm glad we can watch this sunrise together, because I wanted to tell you how I think of them. Sunsets are an end, and a couple years ago the sun set on how my old life used to be. But, finally, the sunrise has come, a new beginning. I want you to be a part of it; With Jamie, Lucy… And me."

Tenshi's eyes widened, catching on to what the man was saying just before the brunette knelt down, opening up a ring box. "The three years with you, Tenshi, have been amazing, and I never want it to end!" He softly admitted,"Will you marry me?"

The Japanese man's eyes started to tear up, reaching out to take Scott's in his own. "But.. How? Gay marriage isn't legal in Japan!" He pointed out.

"We can go to America!" Tony's father quickly exclaimed,"We can get married in my home state, and you can meet my family! And afterwards, we can even honeymoon there if you'd like!"

Tenshi's eyes grew suspiciously wet, and he sniffled a bit, before nodding firmly. "Yes, Scott! The answer is yes! Let's get married!" He happily sobbed.

His father's eyes shone as well as he slid the ring onto Tenshi's finger. Then, they embraced, holding each other close and exchanging a loving kiss.

Tenshi, remembering the kids, opened his arms to invite the two into the hug. Lucy giggled, throwing herself into the embrace while Tony quickly followed.

They all held each other tight, until Lucy softly asked,"Daddy? Does this mean Tenshi is part of the family now?"

Their father smiled, ruffling the girl's curly hair. "Yes Lucy, it does," He declared, before they all fell into the hug once more.

Tony felt his heart glow with happiness. Yes, that's what they were. A family. They may be a little different than other families, but they still were one. It was something Tony had never had in his first life, and was the most beautiful gift he had ever been given.

This was his life, and he never wanted anything to change.

* * *

"Sir, we have news about the kid!"

Nick Fury looked up from his computer screen, walking over to where Maria Hill and Phil Coulson were leaning.

When he looked over the data, he saw that it was hacked information they got from airlines. One of the names on it caught his line. _Jamie Mcintyre and his family booked a flight to New York City…_

"We finally have a chance to speak to the punk," Marina pointed out, growing excited at the idea.

"Your orders, director?" Phil asked, turning back to the man curiously.

Fury, however, was in deep thought. For long time, they had been watching Jamie. He was showing an extreme level of intelligence that he hadn't shown before. Especially at those science fairs… With their crazy robots or experiments that always caught the public's eye. However, the most suspicious thing to Fury, was just how similar some of the creations were to Tony Stark's old ones.

Not only that, but what fifteen year old knew how to completely incapacitate Yakuza members, and completely remove tire valves using only a switchblade?! Surely there was something going on behind the scenes…

But, they couldn't touch the kid. At least, not when he was in Japan. Shield was not scary to the hero group there, and the government refused to let them intervene. Not that it was a new thing, they'd never been very keen on having shield run around.

But now, Jamie was coming to America, coming to their turf. Finally, _finally,_ they were going to get a chance to see just what the teen was hiding.

"You know what, Phil? Send some agents to the front of the airport, put some others behind the desk, I think we need to give this kid a warm welcome to America."

And Fury couldn't wait to see what it was.


	10. Chapter 10

The blue ocean seemed to stretch on for miles below the plane, the gentle waves did little to calm him. In fact, Tony's mind was a tsunami of anxiety-ridden thoughts.

Sure, he did want to see his father and Tenshi get married and meet the family he saw in Jamie's memories, but didn't want to go back to New York. So many bad memories, so many people he didn't want to see...

The redhead sighed, shaking his head. _The last time I was in New York, I literally died._ He thought, frowning deeply. _Now, I'm going back a different person. What if I see them? What will I do!?_

"Jamie?" A little voice asked in Japanese. His mismatched eyes turned, and saw little Lucy rubbing her eyes tiredly toward him. Her curly hair was sticking out all over, and a stuffed dog was trapped under her arm.

Tony smiled, and asked,"What's up, little sis?"

"Are we there yet?" She questioned, pointing at the watch on his wrist with one tiny hand.

Tony looked at the time and cringed. _Really? We still have seven hours!?_ "Not yet, we'll be there very very soon though," He vaguely answered, showing her his watch.

She leaned forward and stared at it, growing an inquisitive look, then nodding at what she saw. (Tony wasn't exactly sure what, considering Lucy didn't know how to tell time). She then looked up at him, and replied,"Okay! I'm just excited! I've never been here before!"

 _Oh yeah, she hasn't!_ Tony realized. Based on Jamie's memories, Tony knew that he and Lucy were both born in Japan, while Alex was born in America. And while Jamie had been to America, Lucy never had been. It was her first time.

Well, technically, it was also Tony's first time too. As Jamie. _Yes… As Jamie!_ He thought, suddenly growing excited. _No paparazzi, no news conferences, no famous shit! Just me, and my family._

Tony, suddenly feeling much better, leaned back in his seat and listened to Lucy's chatter. Yes, he was Jamie now. He didn't need to worry about a run in with SHIELD, the Avengers, or anyone else. He was just an normal kid with his family.

 _Besides, what are the chances that anything like that will happen?_

* * *

Because they left Japan in the afternoon, they ended up getting to New York in the early morning. Completely jet lagged even before they had gotten off the plane, all the four of them wanted nothing more than to fall into their hotel beds and sleep until the next morning came.

But, they still had to go through all the airport bullshit. But, Tony found all of it interesting at the same time. Back when he owned his own planes, he never really had to go through such a thing.

They almost made it all the way through when an older man behind the desk who was checking their identification grew concerned. He seemed to type quickly into the computer while looking back at their passports. Three times, Tony heard a harsh buzzing sound, and then one ding.

"Sir, there seems to be an issue with most passports…" The man softly admitted.

"What?" His father asked in English.

"Your son's passport is fine, but I'm having issues with the rest. This might take a while, I'm afraid," The man admitted to them.

Tony's father released an annoyed sigh, but kept his smile on his face as he turned to the redhead. "Jamie, can you please go check in at the hotel? I'll call ahead and tell them that you're coming. We'll meet you there after we take care of this." He said.

For some reason, Tony got a strange feeling; He had no explanation for it, but he knew that something was going to happen.

Still, he nodded. "Alright, I'll meet you guys there!" He replied, taking his dad's bag, hugging him and Tenshi, ruffling Lucy's hair, and then headed out of the airport.

As soon as the doors opened, Tony felt a wave of nostalgia and unfamiliarity at the same time. New York City was once his home, and yet it felt so strange. The skyscrapers looked down him as if judging him, loud honking was unfamiliar on his ears, and the crowds of people even had a different vibe to them.

For almost five years, he'd been living as another person in a completely different continent. To be back in where he once thrived… It was surreal. Tony quickly shook his head. _Stalling isn't going to do anything, just get to the hotel!_

With courage in his heart, he took his first steps towards the street… And a car suddenly sped in front of him, screeching to a halt.

"What the hell?!" Tony exclaimed in Japanese, backing up the slightest bit. "What's your problem?!" He asked, this time in English.

The black door of the car was pushed open, and a suit-clad man walked out. Instantly, Tony felt any anger he had fade away; It was replaced by fear.

It was Agent Coulson, holding the door open and looking right at him.

"Hello, Mr. McCintyre," He calmly said,"We'd like to have a chat with you."

Tony's eyes widened, his heart slamming against his chest. Quickly, he replied,"I-I'm sorry, my father told me not to talk to strangers-"

Coulson quirked an eyebrow, and Tony saw his eyes flicker for the slightest moment behind him. The redhead whipped his own head around, seeing two bulky men standing in front of the airport entrance.

He gulped deeply, and realized his situation right away. He turned back around, teeth gritting as he answered,"Fine."

Coulson moved aside, and Tony forced himself to keep his breathing even as he climbed into the back of the car. His mismatched eyes instantly caught sight of who else was sitting inside the long, limo-like car.

Nick _motherfucking_ Fury, of fucking course Fury would be in the car too.

Tony felt his heart slam against his chest, desperately trying to break free and hop out of the car before anything else could happen.

The second Coulson got back into the car and shut the door, it took off down the streets. Tony stared out the window for a second, flickering his mismatched eyes back towards the two familiar faces.

Nick and Coulson stared at him for several moments, and then finally Coulson broke the silence. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're here…" He began.

"It has something to do with my science club, right?" Tony interrupted, pointing at Coulson as the words flew out of his mouth. "I'm not blind, I recognize you, you were there at the science fair!"

Coulson had the decency to look surprised, and Nick seemed more impressed than anything, almost proud of what Tony said.

The eyepatch clad man snorted, and declared,"I _told_ you that he saw you, Coulson."

Fury then turned back to him, threading his fingers together. "But, you're right. This is about your club… But mainly about you, James" He explained.

Tony frowned and angrily snapped,"Hey, my name is not James. It's Jamie, if you're going to stalk me and kidnap me at least say it right."

"You're quite the spitfire," Coulson observed,"But that's not surprising, I'd expect this kind of wit from someone like you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Tony demanded, crossing his arms and tapping one foot.

Fury took over for the agent. "It's not every day a sixteen year old takes on Yakuza members and lives to tell the tale," He stated. "And it's not every day that a sixteen year old somehow creates a robot using the same classified formulas for lasers that have been hidden from the public for years."

Tony's heart jumped, feeling panic overtake him again. _Shit, did I do that!? I thought it would have been released since I died!_ He quickly tried to brush it off.

Scoffing and leaning back, he calmly said,"Well, clearly someone doesn't watch anime. Ever seen Durarara? High schools literally ran gangs in that one-"

"I'm not stupid, kid," Fury interrupted,"Quit trying to change the subject, it ain't working. Here's the facts: You beat the shit out of Yakuza members with no previous training in ANY kind of self defense, you deflated tires like a mechanic would WITHOUT the proper tools and without any training, AND you were using technology that could only be accessed by us, SHIELD, a mothercuking government branch! So come clean, you're not leaving our car until you do."

Tony felt terrified, his whole body shuddered in fear. His mismatched eyes jumping between the two men. He knew Fury was telling the truth, after all he had known the director for many, many years. If Tony didn't come up with a convincing narrative, and he was as good as dead.

He forced the look of fear to turn into one of terror, and slumped forward with a sad sigh. "I… I'm sorry… I did do some hacking," He stuttered out, before quickly jerking his head up,"But it was only because I was afraid of what would happen if I tried to reach out… I thought they'd steal my idea, or maybe agree but then take all the credit. I-I could change it, or.. Or if you want I-I.. I'm really sorry! Please don't arrest me! I just wanted to help the world!"

Fury didn't look entirely convinced, as he crossed his arms over his usual black outfit. "And what would have compelled you to hack things in the first place?" He questioned.

"My brother," Tony easily responded, making sure to spit the words and clutch his fists in anger. "I knew he was up to something, especially after I found out he dropped out of college but was still taking tuition money from dad. I started small, just hacking cameras where I knew he was. I just wanted to understand what would make him hurt us all like that.."

The teenager quickly looked back up at them, wide mismatched eyes filled with worry. "Please sirs, don't arrest me! I promise I won't do it again, I'll even change the design of our robots! Just- please, I can't let my father go through anymore pain!"

Coulson seemed to have taken his bait hook, line, and sinker. He lowered the screen, calmly asking,"Your brother is Alex McCintyre, correct?"

Tony sniffled and wiped his eyes, nodding sheepishly. "Yes, But only in blood," He firmly stated,"He was horrible to all of us, and did many horrible things to us. I'm glad he's imprisoned."

Fury still didn't seem entirely convinced, but he also seemed to understand that Tony's facade was the best he was doing to get. _I gave him a confession, which is what he wanted, so he doesn't have any reason to keep me here_. Tony thought wisely.

By the look in his eyes, Tony could tell that Fury had come to the same realization. The director held up his hands and up and said,"Listen up kid, I'm gonna let you go with a warning. Just know that SHIELD will be watching you, and we'll no if you go against your word."

Tony forced his shoulders to slump and his body to stop shaking, releasing a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you sir, thank you so much!" He frantically exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah," Fury responded, waving towards the car door as the vehicle slowed to a stop. "Just get out of the car, okay? And don't make me talk to you again."

"Yes sir, thank you sir!" Tony gratefully said, quickly opening the car door and leaving before anything else could catch Fury's attention. "Bye sir, bye Agent!"

* * *

The second the car door shut, the car drove away. Fury let his thoughts stew until they had turned to corner and the teen was out of sight. He turned over to Coulson, and saw a conflicted look on the man's face. _Well, I guess I'll be the one to start talking._

"He's a good actor, I'll give him that," The director began,"I mean, I can believe most of it; You and I both know how hard Jamie worked on stopping that kid, I can believe that he started hacking to try and catch his brother… But I don't think he's telling us the whole story."

Coulson's face didn't change, he still looked extremely lost, as if something was eating away at his whole being. Fury frowned, feeling worried about his companion. He leaned forward so that he was in Coulson's peripheral. "Hey, you okay?" He asked,"Please tell me you didn't fall for his bullshit."

"No, it's not that…" Coulson quickly answered, not removing his gaze from the shaking hands. "It's just… He… He called me Agent.."

Fury furrowed his brow in confusion. "So?" He asked,"What does that have to do with anything that just happened?"

"We never told him I was an agent…" Coulson pointed out, looking back up at Fury with saddened eyes. "And… That's what Tony would always call me."

The director did a mental double take at the mention of the long dead hero. "Oh yeah.." He morosely remembered,"He did, didn't he? He always used to give nicknames…"

Tony Stark's name was almost like taboo for the members of SHIELD and the Avengers, but not out of anger. The thought of the genius hurt them, as it brought back memories of how much they had wronged and mistreated such a selfless, caring man and how- in the end -that man still sacrificed his own life to save the world that never saved him.

It was Fury's turn to sadly look down at his lap. "Y'know, that kid kinda reminds me of him…" He admitted,"Crazy smart, good actor, and not at all what I expected."

Coulson nodded, taking one more sad sigh, and then straightened himself again. "Your orders, sir?" He asked, failing at hiding the quiver still present in his voice.

"Keep surveillance on the kid while he's here," The man firmly ordered, his voice faring much better. "There's a lot more to him that he's showing us, and we need to get as much as we can while he's in our turf."

"Yes sir," Coulson affirmed, opening up his laptop and sending out the orders to the rest of their agents while Fury ordered the agents in the airport to let the rest of Jamie's family go as unsuspiciously as possible.

Although neither man would admit it, they both were struggling to focus on their work. Their minds had become plagued with memories of the man who became a hero for them all, and how he was never coming back…

* * *

As soon as the car turned the corner, Tony let the huge breath he was holding go. _I can't believe I got away with that._

He turned his mismatched eyes to the street, looking around for any suspicious suit clad men. There were none (Or at least, they were hiding really well.) so he went into the huge, expensive looking hotel and up to the woman at the lobby desk. She was typing away at a screen extremely fast, wearing a nice looking dress suit.

"Uh… I'm checking in," Tony managed to croak out, still trying to register the situation he was in a few minutes ago. "For Scott McCintyre-"

The woman picked up a keycard, handing it to him right away. "There you go, young man! Your rooms are 4C and 4D. Have a good stay!" She cheerfully said.

Tony instantly felt suspicious, narrowing his eyes at the woman. He'd been in enough hotels in his lifetime to realize that it wasn't normal procedure, especially when it was obvious he wasn't his father.

"You're a SHIELD agent," He whispered; It was not a question, it was a statement.

The woman smiled even wider, if that was possible. "Have a good stay, Jamie," She whispered back,"And remember, me and my colleagues will be here twenty four seven, so if you need anything we're just a call away~"

Tony frowned, snatching the keycard from her, and hurrying over to the elevator. He wasn't a fool, he heard the underlying threat in her words.

He quickly went into the hotel room, tossing the bags onto the ground and flopping on one of the beds. He rubbed his face, letting out a long groan that he'd been holding in ever since the damn car ride.

 _I can't believe it…_ He thought. _I've been in America for less than an hour and they manage to invade my life. Why can't they just leave me alone!?_

Tony didn't dare say anything aloud; as much as it would feel good to vent, he knew without a doubt that both rooms were bugged. _Shield doesn't do things half-assed, I know there's microphones in here somewhere._

It was all too much to take, when all he wanted was a calm, normal family vacation. Two weeks in America without having flashbacks, or having to save the world, or having to do anything hero-related. He closed his eyes, letting his arms flop down onto the sides of the bed. _What a day..._

There was a knock on the door, jerking him out of his thoughts. He sat up, feeling slightly lethargic as he looked at the time. A half hour had gone by, surprisingly. _I must have dozed off._

He hopped off the bed, quickly looking through the peephole for his own safety. He let out a huge breath he had been holding. _Oh thank god!_ It wasn't another agent coming to interrogate him, it was just his family.

The redhead opened the door, and happily said,"Hey everyone! I'm glad you made it safe!"

Lucy grinned widely, and held up a half eaten sugar cookie that was frosted and shaped like a rainbow. "I got a cookie!" She declared excitedly.

"Wow, you did!?" Tony exclaimed, ruffling her hair. "And how did you get away with getting _more_ sugar?"

"The receptionist at the desks felt bad that little Lucy was stuck with us, so they gave us some free cookies," Their father tiredly explained, looking even more exhausted that he had when they first hopped off the plane.

Tenshi also seemed to notice this, as he grabbed their father's hand and gently said,"I think we all need to take a nap after that. Exploring can happen later."

"I completely agree," Tony added,"I almost got lost so many times trying to find this place! I know the streets are numbered, but that certainly didn't make it easier!"

His father chuckled, and sleepily said,"Well I'm very thankful for your sacrifice, Jamie. And, Tenshi, I think you're right. Let's all get some rest, adventuring can wait for tomorrow."

Even little Lucy didn't argue, but Tony could see how slow she was blinking and how the grip on her cookie was starting to slip. He easily scooped up the five year old, allowing Tenshi and his father to head to their own beds in the adjoining room.

He set Lucy down, but she refused to let go of him. "Jamie, can I please sleep with you in your bed?" She shyly asked,"There might be monsters here…"

"There's no monsters," Tony promised,"I kicked them all out before you got here."

Lucy's shoulders untensed a bit, and she looked around nervously, before whispering,"Even the sneaky ones?"

"Even the sneaky ones," Tony assured her.

The little girl looked satisfied for a moment, but then grew nervous again. "But… I'm scared…" She whispered,"I've never been here before… I don't wanna be alone…"

There was no argument in Tony's mind, his little sister was sleeping with him in his bed. When he was her age, Howard and Maria forced him to travel all the time and go to new, scary places. Tony was never offered the comfort of cuddling with his parents in strange environments. Nobody had ever let him have the luxury of comfort in his childhood, or ever assured him that the monsters were gone; He would never let her go through the same thing.

"Don't worry, Lucy, I understand," He promised, moving to the second bed in the room and setting her down.

Lucy's smile lit up the room, and she quickly pulled back the covers and buried herself in a tight little ball under them. Tony went to the other side, not even bothering to put on pajamas. As soon as he was settled in, Lucy cuddled up against his side, and settled down rather quickly.

The weight on Tony's eyes helped him follow the child into his own, much needed rest. He was relieved that things were finally starting to feel relaxing...

Tony could only hope the rest of the trip would remain that way.


	11. Chapter 11

Even after almost five years, the pain was still fresh.

Steve could still remember every moment he ever spent with Tony, every conversation they ever had, and what those bright eyes looked like when the life left them.

The super soldier's blue eyes looked up towards the statue that honored the man. It displayed the man in the last iron man suit he made standing tall, wielding the infinity gauntlet toward the sky was his face, outside the suit, displayed that same determined face Steve recalled so well. At the bottom of the statue was a plaque that read:

"Tony Stark

Hero For All

1970-2019"

Pepper had worked hard to get a statue of Tony made, wanting to remember his sacrifices. The testimonies of several Avengers helped, especially Doctor Strange. He revealed to the world that it was only thanks to Tony's determination that half the population was spared from Thanos's snap. Tony's use of the infinity gauntlet was viewed by millions, and only furthered the support for one to be built.

Eventually, it was completely… It was perfect. It truly displayed what Tony should be remembered for: his heroism.

Steve lost count of how many times he sat by that statue in his disguises, paying respects to the amazing man he never took the time to respect when he was still alive. In fact, that was exactly what he was doing today too.

"Oh, Tony…" He whispered, tears starting to slip down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry… I- I can never forgive myself…"

He said those words every single time, and they were true every single time… He lowered his head, standing in honored silence for the man he missed so dearly.

Silence that was quickly interrupted when a child crashed to the ground in front of him.

Steve's eyes widened behind his sunglasses, caught off guard from being jerked out of his mournful trance. Before he could kneel down to help the little one, a frantic voice called,"Lucy!"

The avenger turned, seeing a very tall, lean redhead kneel down and pick up the child. He turned to Steve, quickly saying,"I'm very sorry about that, she saw the statue and got really excited-"

Steve quickly waved the young man off. "Don't worry, I understand," He replied,"No need to apologize."

"Iron man! Iron man!" The little girl in the redhead's arms squealed, squirming out of his arms. simply tugging at his hand, and pointing up at the statue.

The red headed young man smiled, turning to let her get a better look at the statue. That's when Steve noticed a little iron man keychain attached to the young man's phone.

"So, you're iron man fans?" He asked curiously, making the two turn back to him with curious looks.

The little girl spoke first. "Yeah! He's super cool!" She exclaimed,"He took the thing and kaboom! He saves everyone!"

Steve noticed that she had a slight accent, but one that he couldn't place, so he ignored it. He knelt down to her level, and said,"Wow! He really did that? How cool!"

The little girl suddenly became shy. She grabbed the back of the tall young man's pants and hid behind him slightly, but she still nodded in return to Steve's words.

"He was pretty cool," The tall teen agreed, looking back towards the statue. "I mean, not many people could touch those infinity stones, let alone wield all of them! It would be like trying to use a potato battery to power your car!"

The super soldier couldn't help but be surprised by the kid's intelligent comparison. "Sounds like you know a lot about science and power," He pointed out.

The kid froze, his cheeks turning a shade of pink. "I- Well, I hope to make a career out of it eventually, so I've learned as much as I can," He sheepishly admitted, pushing his two index fingers together and looking down at them.

Steve suddenly felt sad all over again. _This kid sounds like Tony… Whenever he'd go into one of his science rants…_ He remembered, turning his eyes back to the statue with a sad sigh.

"Why are you sad?" The little girl's voice broke through his thoughts again. He turned, seeing both kids looking towards him inquisitively.

Steve didn't know what made him do it; Maybe it was because the two kids were strangers, or maybe it was because the Avengers wouldn't hear his true feelings. He told them,"I lost someone during Infinity War… I took them for granted, I didn't appreciate who they really were. I regret it every day, but now I have no way to tell them how much I really did care for them."

He looked down again, not wanting to see the pity that always seemed to be in people's eyes. _Why did I do that? They didn't need hear that, I'm just bothering them…_

"Hey… It's okay, I know how you feel," The older teen's soft voice admitted, making Steve look back towards them. That freckled face had a gentle smile, and those eyes were filled with understanding, not pity.

Steve swallowed down the lump in his throat that made him want to burst into tears and slowly asked,"You do?"

The teen nodded. "Our mother, she died when Lucy was a newborn," The teen explained,"I felt horrible, it tore me apart. I always wondered if there was anything more I could do or say to her, or what I would have told her if I had more time… But I know now that she wouldn't want me to dwell on what I _could have_ done. She'd want me to keep on living, and I'm sure that's what your friend would want too."

The Avenger couldn't believe his ears, but the teen was totally right. _Tony wouldn't want any of us to mourn forever, he'd want us to keep protecting the world and remember him fondly. He wouldn't want to be the reason we give up! He'd want us to stay strong!_

The sadness on Steve's face melted away, and his usual smile took over. "You're right, he would have," He admitted to both the teen and himself, turning to face them. "Thank you, young man."

"Just Jamie is fine," The teen said, returning the smile with one of his own. "And you're welcome."

"And I'm Lucy!" The little girl exclaimed, having emerged from behind her older brother.

Steve smiled and nodded in acknowledgment toward the little girl, and softly replied,"Nice to meet you both."

He looked around, making sure that no one was too close by before he whispered,"Would you two like to know a secret?"

Lucy nodded excitedly, but Jamie looked a little apprehensive. Steve didn't blame him, it was New York after all. So, he moved quickly, and pulled his sunglasses off.

"I'm Captain America," He revealed, watching as their eyes widened in surprise. "But you have to keep it quiet, I only wanted you two to know. It's our secret."

Lucy's eyes practically sparkled with awe, and she nodded frantically. "Yes Captain!" She whispered, jumping up and down a bit.

Jamie looked more shocked than excited, taking several steps back. "I- No- You- We…" He stuttered out,"I thought…. I'd never-"

Before the young man could finish his frazzled thoughts, Steve heard another voice call,"Jamie! Lucy! You ready to go?"

An older brunette man holding a food bag and a Japanese man with chestnut hair and glasses approached, smiling at the siblings.

Jamie quickly turned back to Steve, bowing in what Steve assumed was respect. "Thank you for speaking with us sir, have a good day!" He told Steve, and Lucy waved goodbye as they hurried over to the two men.

Jamie and Lucy hugged the two men, and then began chatting excitedly as they wandered away. Jamie turned and looked back at him once more, his face looking inquisitive and confused. But, when Steve waved back at him, the kid returned the wave with a smile.

It hurt Steve's heart as he watched them wander away. Their interactions were that of a close knit family… Such a sight made Steve sad all over again…

Because it reminded him of that blessed time when the Avengers were together…

When they were a family…

* * *

Tony, despite his initial reaction, actually felt more at ease after running into Steve than when he was when Fury picked him up. _Well, Steve thought I was just some random stranger off the street… SHIELD is actually suspicious of me…_

He let out an annoyed sigh, running a hand through his messy hair and leaned back in the car. _It'd be nice if nothing else like that happened during this trip, I'd really like that!_

He looked out the window, watching the scenery of upstate New York as it passed them by, nerves and excitement starting to build up in his chest. His dad was taking them to meet their extended family.

When he dug through his memories, Tony found that Jamie had only met these people a few times. I mean, that's not surprising. We live in Japan, we can't visit all the time. It's too expensive… He took a deep breath. I hope they like me… I hope they like Lucy…

"We're here!" His father's voice broke through his nervous thoughts. "This is where I grew up… I mean, it looks a little different now, but this house has been here for generations."

His father's blue eyes were glowing with excitement and memories that Tony couldn't see as he looked on the house, so the redhead turned to look at it himself.

The home was two stories and had a front made of red bricks, along with a nice green yard with a large oak tree. Tony already saw a few children running across the yard, their hair all different shades of red.

There were a couple of adults outside as well, chatting idly with each other until the oldest of them noticed Tony and his family approaching. He pointed his drink toward them and said,"Hey! Scott's here!"

The other two turned around. One looked a little older than Tony's father, and had a lean face with auburn hair, blue eyes, and a goatee. The other had light red hair and brown eyes, and was a little larger in muscle mass. Tony recognized them from Jamie's memories as his uncle Connor and uncle Oliver.

The auburn haired man smiled widely, turning around to look at them. "Hey, little brother! I'm so glad you guys could make it!" He cheerfully said. "Everyone's been dying to see you!"

Their father chuckled, sheepishly rubbing his neck. "Well, when you're usually fourteen hours ahead there is plenty of jet lag!" He pointed out,"I'm just glad we got here in time!"

Tony felt someone grab the back of his shirt all of a sudden, and instantly knew who it was. He turned and saw little Lucy clinging to him nervously, shy around the new strangers. He knelt down, taking her hand, and softly said,"Lucy, these are our uncles! Uncle Connor and Uncle Oliver!"

Lucy still somehow managed to hide behind him still, and softly whispered,"H-Hello…." She then hid against Tony again.

Despite his muscular height, Oliver was very gentle. He also knelt down, gasping excitedly. "Is that Lucy?" He whispered,"Look at you! You're such a big girl!"

The little girl giggled, a blush dusting over her freckled cheeks. She looked back at their father, and then ran over to Oliver, wrapping her arms around him.

Tony smiled in relief, glad the little girl was already getting used to the family. He stood up to his full height again.

"Whoa!" Connor exclaimed,"I didn't realize how tall you'd gotten, Jamie! Last time I saw you, I could hold you!"

The redhead chuckled, smiling widely. "Six foot three!" He proudly declared, smiling widely. Little did the family know, but the main reason he was proud of that fact was because he was taller than Captain America by three inches. Sure, it was a small victory, but the Avengers always made fun of him for his height.

"Well hot darn!" Connor exclaimed again,"Quite a growth spurt, huh?"

Tony heard his father laugh, and say,"You don't even know the half of it, Connor. He has stretch marks around his spine because of how fast he grew! His body just couldn't keep up!"

Connor and Oliver (who was now holding Lucy) laughed while Tony blushed deeply at his father's words. After their laughter ended, their attention now went towards Tenshi, who looked a little lost.

Oliver was the first to move, smiling at the Japanese man. "And you must be Tenshi!" He said,"It's nice to meet you, especially since you and my little brother will be getting married while you're here?"

Tenshi's face grew pink as well, and he softly asked,"Y-you're not mad? Even though Scott was married to a woman before?"

Connor openly laughed at that, and said,"Believe me, Scott has been Bi all his life. I'm proud that I'll soon be able to call you part of my family! Now, come on you guys, everyone's been waiting for you to get here!"

And so they went inside, and Tony got to meet the people from his memories. There was the grandparents, the cousins, and even a great grandpa who fought in world war 2 and had many good stories to tell.

He played with Lucy and the younger cousins, joked around with the older ones, met all his aunts and uncles, and listened to the grand and great grandparents stories. The whole time, Tony couldn't stop himself from smiling.

He had never had something like this, a big family who all enjoyed each other's company and now he did. The genius could hardly hide the joy from the world, as that happy glow was on every person in his family too.

Although he had already know if for several years, Tony once again reminded himself that he truly was home.

* * *

One Day Later

* * *

 _Goddammit, Mr. Noodle._

Tony narrowed his eyes at the hotel television, while Lucy watched with rapt attention while sitting in his lap. Sometimes she would giggle, and cheerfully say,"Silly mister noodle!" but most of the time she was too engrossed to notice anything.

Meanwhile, both his father and Tenshi were getting ready to start prepping for their wedding. Tony heard them the night before listing all the places they needed to go and things to get done. They were skipping some traditions, like having groomsmen or bridesmaids and only wanted a small ceremony that brought together both their cultures and a big reception.

Tony knew they already booked a reception area, had outfits, and knew which bakery they wanted. They just needed to do some tasting and a few other things before it was wedding time.

"Alright you two!" His father said, walking into their part of the hotel. "We're going to go run some errands, what do you have planned for today?"

The genius quickly answered,"I'm thinking of taking Lucy to Central Park! I think she'd love it! What do you think, Lucy?"

The little girl made an affirmative noise, whipped around to face Tony, and firmly said,"But _after_ Elmo."

Tony waited until she turned around to send the two older men a desperate look. They simply laughed, used to the siblings' antics, and headed to the door.

"We'll be back after dark," Tenshi reminded them,"So feel free to order something from room service or get food while you're out, just make sure to be careful!"

The redhead nodded back, waving one hand. "Okay, have fun!" He called, turning back to Mr. Noodle as the door shut and locked with a click.

Thankfully, Tony only had to endure a little more of Elmo before Lucy was ready to go. She was dressed in her favorite blue dress with white bloomers underneath. Tony himself wore a simple gray T-shirt and some black pants, along with a metal bird necklace that his uncle gave him.

Then, off to Central Park they went. They took a scenic route there, letting Lucy observe some of the glorious buildings that surrounded them before they reached the park.

Tony, remembering that the Avengers would sometimes hang out in Central Park, was quickly to scope the area. He saw none of their usual disguises, but they didn't calm him down.

 _That doesn't mean anything._ He quickly reminded himself. _Rogers was at the statue and I didn't recognize him! What if they get more suspicious? What if I say something I shouldn't when they're neary? What if-_

"Jamie!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed, jerking Tony out of his nervous thoughts. "Look Look! Horsies!"

The teen looked towards where she was pointing and saw one of the carriages with the horses. "Oh!" He said, looking down at the little girl; She was jumping up and down, but somehow still managing to keep ahold of Tony's hand.

He smiled, feeling his love for his little sister return full force. "Would you like to ride the carriage?" He asked.

Lucy gasped, turning her excited blue eyes toward him. "Can we? Can we?" She begged, hands clasped together.

Tony smiled wide himself, and nodded,"Sure! Let's go!"

The little girl squealed, glowing with happiness as she ran towards the carriage. Tony's happiness grew, and he followed after her. _You know what? Why should I care if they're watching? I'm not in Central Park to hide from them, I'm here to help my little sis have fun! Let's do this!_

And so Tony took her all around the park. They took a carriage ride, listened to storytelling at the Hans Christian Anderson statue, he took Lucy to the carousel and one of the playgrounds, and then they bought some food from one of the vendors and sat down in a nice green clearing to eat.

Tony couldn't help but release happy noises when he bit into the hot dog he bought; Even though he didn't miss his old life, he had to admit that he did miss New York food.

Lucy grew tired after that, and Tony knew that it was time to go back to the hotel. Hand in hand, they started walking home. As they got around halfway across the Bow Bridge, Tony asked her,"Would you like to watch more Elmo when we get back?"

"Mmm-Mmm," Lucy answered, rubbing her eyes. "M'go to sleep."

Tony nodded, turning his gaze up just in time to see several things in the sky flying towards the bridge. What the-

 _BOOM!_

Several blasts hit the bridge, sending pieces of it crumbling into the lake below it. Lucy screamed, and Tony pulled her behind them as he backed up. His wide, mismatched eyes looked up again to try and figure out what had just occurred.

Several bulky looking robots were floating in the sky, and several were aiming at all the civilians. _What?! What is happening!?_

One larger robot began to descend, acting more humanoid than the others. It floated above the hole it had just created, and a seemed to scan the crowd. People began to frantically talk or cry, and the strange robot interrupted them.

"SHUT UP!" The deep, mangled voice snarled,"You fools should consider yourselves lucky. None of you are on my radar… For now. There's only one person here who I need."

The robot head turned completely around, the red eyes seeming to peer into Tony's soul. He felt his heart speed up as the bulky arm raised, the fingers scraping as the index finger pointed… Right at him.

"I need you."

 _Oh shit..._


	12. Chapter 12

"I need you."

 _Oh shit…_

The robot lowered his finger, landing on the bridge, and then trudging toward Tony. The genius's mismatched eyes widened, grabbing Lucy and pulling her completely behind him as he backed further down the bridge.

The robot laughed, a horrifying sound that made Lucy's grip on Tony's wrists tighten. "You're really trying to protect the little brat? You really should be more worried about what I'll do to you," He snarled.

Every nerve in Tony's body was filled with anxiety, as he carefully replied,"W-what do you want from me?"

The robot flew forward, grabbing the front of Tony's shirt and yanking him forward. His voice was much quieter, so only Tony could hear. "You… You're just a kid, but SHIELD talked to you… They're following you…" He snarled,"What did you do to gain their interest?"

Tony narrowed his eyes. "You know, I could be wrong…" He began,"But… I think that's none of your business."

The robot growled, tightening his grip on the shirt. "Oh, it is," He sneered,"Listen kid, help me help you! Whatever potential shield saw in you, let's use it against them!"

"No!" Tony snapped, trying to escape his grip. "I don't want anything to do with either of you! Let me go!"

Those eyes seemed to glow even redder, and he whispered,"Wrong choice, punk!" His hand flowed red as he raised it up, and Tony tensed up, waiting for the pain.

But it never came, instead a metal shield slammed into the robot. He dropped Tony and stumbled backwards. He growled, shaking his metal head and then yelling,"Attack!"

Tony quickly looked towards where the shield came from, and saw… The Avengers… Oh god it was all of them… Even Spider-Man. They ran forward with determination, but had scramble to a stop as the metal robots dove towards them.

 _This is my chance!_ Tony realized, grabbing his little sister, holding her against his chest, and running away from the battle scene. He didn't care if it was the wrong way, he would just hide in the trees until the battle ended.

"Oh no you don't!" A mangled voice yelled, coming closer extremely fast. Tony turned around just in time for the same robot from before to grab his arm, and then fly straight up into the air. Tony quickly tightened his grip on Lucy with his other hand.

The robot flew up high, so high that the battle down below looked like it was just ants. Tony gulped, his heart pounding. He could hear Lucy sobbing in terror.

Once they were up high, The robot grabbed Tony's other arm. "It's time to teach you a lesson about telling me no!" He snarled.

The robot yanked hard and pulled Tony's arm up, forcing him to let go of Lucy. The little girl began to fall, screaming in terror as she went.

"NO!" Tony yelled, desperately reaching out to try and catch her… But she was already too far down.

The damned robot chuckled again, a sound that sent burning rage all through Tony's body. He whipped around, noticing a tear at the beginning of the chest plates from Steve's shield.

Without thinking, Tony grabbed at both ends, forcing the thin metal open. Underneath the helm was mounds of wires. The genius quickly grabbed at some blue ones, ripping them apart.

"Hey! What are you-"

He ripped more red wires, and then connected the blue and red together as he ripped some purple wires apart. The red lights flashed off, and the machine went limp, beginning to fall through the sky.

Tony turned, waiting until the robot had turned completely upside down before he reconnected purple wires. The flight stabilizers returned to life with a fervor, sending them speeding towards the falling Lucy.

His mismatched eyes narrowed with determination, reaching his hand out, and grabbing the girl by her arm as they flew downward. He quickly pulled her to his chest, tightening his grip once more and looking toward their destination.

Only then did Tony realize that they were headed to the ground.

"Hold on to me, Lucy!" He yelled against the wind, feeling her small arms wrap around his chest as he watched the very fast approaching terra.

As soon as they reached the line of trees, Tony let go and used his feet to push them away from the inevitable explosion. He wrapped both arms around Lucy, holding her against his front with arms wrapped around her as he braced for impact.

A loud explosion seemed to shake the park just as Tony crashed into the ground, rolling a couple times before they came to a stop.

He stared up at the sky with wide eyes, heart pounding so fast it felt like it may break through his rib cage. The battle that most likely was still ongoing didn't matter to him, what mattered was the crying child in his arms.

The redhead gently rubbed Lucy's back, whispering,"Hey, Hey… It's okay, we're okay… Everything is going to be alright…"

* * *

Steve couldn't believe his eyes as he witnessed the red headed teenager manage to save himself and the little girl that had fallen.

He slammed his shield into the last robot at his side, calling out,"Avengers, go to the kid! He may be injured!"

He got several confirmations in return, and he quickly ran over to the curled up form he saw on the ground. He heard the others following after him, but hesitated a moment, unsure of approaching the obviously shaken teen.

He looked back at the others for support, but none of them stepped closer. Natasha gave a small smile, motioning him forward.

Steve nodded, taking a few steps forward. "Young man?" He called, reaching out. "Are you alright? That was quite a fall you took…"

"Leave me alone…."

Steve stopped again, hesitantly asking,"Pardon?"

The redhead jerked up and onto his feet, holding the child close as he yelled,"LEAVE ME ALONE!" His mismatched eyes were burning with rage, his whole body still shaking.

In that moment, staring at the face, Steve realized that the kid was in fact the one he had met at Tony's memorial. _Why did they go after him?_

The super soldier quickly backed away, not prepared for the outburst, and held his hands up in surrender. "We just want to help you…" He tried to explain.

"Help me!? HELP ME!?" The teen exclaimed, looking a little unhinged as he pointed at them. "You… You've never helped me, I always have to save myself! And you're just making everything worse!"

The avengers behind Steve all shared looks of confusion, none of them having met the young man before in their life. _What does he mean by that?_ They all wondered idly.

"And SHIELD!" The teen spat,"If they hadn't been so invasive, those robots would have never attacked me in the first place. They never would have tried to kidnap me! They never would have thrown Lucy! My sister almost DIED thanks to your stupid boss!"

 _SHIELD? What do they have to do with what happened?_ Steve wondered, slightly ashamed at the fact he didn't doubt the kid's words.

Natasha was the next to move forward, softly saying,"Kid, I'm sorry for whatever our boss did to you. I promise this will be fixed, but we need to get you some medical attention."

"NO! Stay away from me!" The redhead yelled, backing away. "I never wanted to see you! You're ruining EVERYTHING! Just.. just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

With that final yell, the redhead turned and ran back towards Central Park. Natasha went to follow him, but Steve placed a hand on her shoulder. "No," He ordered,"Let him go, he's been through enough."

Natasha frowned at this, looking back at him. "Steve, he could be really hurt and just not be telling us…" She said,"He fell out of the sky with that robot."

"He's fine," Steve promised,"You didn't see what I did. He knew exactly what he was doing."

The other Avengers who had seen it (Vision, Wanda, Sam, and Clint) all nodded to confirm was Steve said.

Turning back to the array of destroyed robots, Steve calmly declared,"Besides, after what the kid said, I think we need to have a talk with Fury."

* * *

The Avengers arrived back at their compound for the debrief and sure enough Fury was there, along with Coulson and Hill. The Avengers quickly went through what happened, including that the robots had taken two kids into the sky. Steve described how the kid looked, which seemed to make Fury even more interested.

"And you rescued him, correct?" Fury asked, leaning forward and opening up another file that had a lot inside of it.

Steve shook his head. "I didn't have to, sir," He explained,"The kid deactivated the robot himself, and then he somehow made it fly downward so he could catch his sister, and then he let the robot crash into the ground while they jumped."

Fury and Coulson both seemed impressed, but there was something further in their eyes that Steve couldn't make out. The director then nodded, and said,"Alright then. You're all dismissed, good work."

Steve saw Clint trying to jump to his feet (most likely to get to the kitchen) before Natasha grabbed his shoulder and forced him to sit back down. "Actually, sir," Natasha started,"We wanted to ask you about that kid."

Fury's only eye narrowed with either suspicion or curiosity, closing the new file he had just opened. "And what exactly is it you want to ask?" He demanded.

Steve took over from there. "When we tried to help him, he yelled at us… And he said that if SHIELD had left him alone, none of that would have happened? And the robots wouldn't have attacked him in the first place? What exactly was he talking about?" He asked.

Fury and Coulson exchanged a look, and then the agent sighed. "It's only fair to tell you the truth," Coulson decided,"That kid is Jamie McCintyre, he's been on our watch list for a while due to his abilities with tech. We interrogated him when he first got into America."

"You- You What!?" Scott exclaimed,"Poor kid gets on a plane and you guys just kidnap him!?"

"It was important that we did, we had no idea where his abilities came from," Fury tried to placate,"We had to-"

"Uhhh, no. You really didn't!" Clint continued,"If anything, you probably made Jamie angrier at you, not scared. That kid has some balls, he ripped open that metal robot with his bare hands!"

Fury still didn't seem to understand the issue, as he replied,"All the more reason for us to keep an eye on him."

Bucky slapped his hand against his face, groaning in annoyance. "That's not the point," He muttered,"You can't just go around kidnapping random kids just because they have 'abilities!'"

"Well then what the fuck do you want us to do?!" Fury snapped,"We can't just leave him alone now. If that robot really did attack him because he was seen talking to us, and if he managed to rewire the robot in seconds, then he's got a target on him."

"Gee, I wonder how we could have avoided that happening!?" Scott exclaimed sarcastically, waving his hands as he spoke.

Natasha, knowing that someone would be getting punched soon if they didn't calm down, calmly asked,"Why was Jamie here in the first place?"

Coulson pulled up a hologram, and answered,"His father is getting married, and they have family in New York so the wedding is happening here."

The assassin easily answered,"We'll worry about what to do after the wedding, let's let them enjoy this special occasion as a family and _without_ stress."

Fury looked like he wanted to argue, but the stern faces of many of the Avengers told him doing so was foolish. He sighed, crossing his arms, and firmly said,"Fine, whatever. But after that, we'll be getting more involved."

The Avengers and the SHIELD agents all got up to leave, but Steve stayed for a moment and thought hard. _SHIELD interacting with the kid might be a bad thing… They've already freaked him out. But there's no talking them out of it… The poor kid shouldn't be locked up in SHIELD for defending himself… Wait!_

Steve got up, following after the eye-patch clad director and saying,"Sir! I think I might have an idea… For what to do about Jamie."

Fury turned back around, sizing up the super soldier suspiciously before responding,"I'm listening…."

* * *

One Week Later

* * *

The wedding was quite the mix of traditions, and Tony wouldn't have had it any other way. His father and Tenshi both wore montsuki (a black formal kimono), haori (a kimono jacket, and hakama (kimono pants). Meanwhile Tony wore his own black kimono and a flower crown (courtesy of Lucy), while Lucy was in a beautiful pink one with her own flower crown.

Lucy threw shamrock petals for her flower girl duties, as their family was Irish, one of their cousins brought the rings, their uncle Connor was the one marrying, and then they shared their vows

"By the powers vested in me by the state of New York, I pronounce you married. You may kiss the groom," Uncle Connor declared.

The two embraced, and the onlookers clapped and cheered for them. The second Tenshi and his father pulled apart, Lucy rushed forward and hugged them both, Tony quickly followed and wrapped his arms around both the men.

Despite all the drama that had happened, Tony didn't regret coming to New York. His little family had grown again.

* * *

After the reception, the (now) family of four returned to their hotel room to relax. Tony carried Lucy, who had fallen asleep near the end of the celebration, to her bed and tucked her in. She curled up in the blankets with a happy sigh.

Tony smiled, smoothing her crazy curls as his father and Tenshi came in to check on them.

His father first gave Lucy a goodnight kiss, and then pulled Tony close, hugging him tight and ruffling his messy hair. "I had a great day, I hope you did too," He declared.

Tony nodded, and exclaimed,"It was awesome! Especially when Uncle Connor tried to breakdance!"

"Of course I do!" His dad said, eyes wide. "He didn't get up for like a minute, I thought he knocked himself out!"

"He'll be feeling that for a few days," Tenshi continued with a chuckle.

His father laughed too, and gave him one more tight hug before saying,"Well, it's pretty late. Get some rest, okay? We have a plane to catch tomorrow!"

His dad then left the room, but Tenshi stayed behind. He looked towards Tony and quietly asked,"How are your hands doing?"

"They're a little better," Tony answered,"Still kinda hurt…"

Tenshi motioned for Tony to follow him, and they went into the nearby bathroom. "Let me see them," He ordered, and Tony didn't even try to argue.

Tony to bring his hands over, which the teen did so willingly. The older man pulled off the white gloves Tony had on and undid the bandages hidden underneath, revealing deep red cuts on his palm and the middle of his fingers that were partly healed; wounds he sustained when ripping through the robot's metal plating.

Tenshi cleaned the wounds while staying quiet, neither of them wanting Tony's father to know. In fact, the only reason Tenshi knew was because he was a doctor, and seemed to have some kind of sixth sense when someone was hurting. Of course, Tony told him that it had been an accident with some jerk while he and Lucy were out, he didn't dare tell the truth.

"I'll check on them again once we get back home, okay?" Tenshi quietly said once they finished.

Tony nodded in relief, and Tenshi left the bathroom with him, grabbing his glass of unfinished water. "Thank you for keeping it… Y'know… To yourself," The redhead said, mismatched eyes shining with relief.

"Only this once, I can't do it anymore," Tenshi said,"You're not just an old patient anymore, you're my son."

Tony practically glowed with happiness, happy to hear Tenshi refer to him as that. The older man left the room, and Tony stood there for a moment… Then a mischievous smile climbed onto his face.

He poked his head into his parents' side of the hotel, that smile still on his face when he saw Tenshi drinking from his glass.

"So…" Tony began,"Should I start calling you Pops, Tou-San…. Or maybe _Daddy?_ "

Both Tony and his father burst out laughing as Tenshi choked on his water.

* * *

When Tony returned home, things seemed to go back to normal. He finished up school, and was deciding which college he wanted to go to.

He and his friends hung out as much as possible, usually at the arcades in town, not sure if they would end up going to the same places or not.

"So where are you thinking of going?" Chikara asked Tony while he played air hockey against Nanami.

Tony quickly answered,"Not entirely sure… I got accepted many places and our science club gave us all a lot of scholarships. I just don't know what sounds the best."

"I'm going to Yamanashi," Atsuko said, finishing his salad. "They have a good biology program, and I want to study animals."

"You'll be right near Mount Fuji!" Nanami pointed out helpfully, blocking the puck Tony sent her way.

Chikara smirked mischievously, and exclaimed,"You can mess with tourists! They can be so gullible sometimes!"

"You could tell them that Mount Fuji actually means 'Bird Poop' or something!" Tony added, giggling along with her.

Nanami laughed too, and said,"Chikara remember that time you told those American kids that the Cicada calls was actually the aliens scanning their brain? That was hilarious!"

"Their parents must have had a blast!" Tony said, remembering the incident very well, and while everyone laughed he took that moment to defeat Nanami in air hockey.

The girl gasped, crossing her arms. "Come on, Jamie," She pouted,"That's not fair, I was talking to Chikara!"

"All is fair in love and war," Tony responded, shining his knuckles against his shirt. "But what about you, Nanami? Where will you go?"

Nanami furrowed her brow, casually answering,"Probably Osaka University. I hear that Osaka has a great nightlife and I could probably get my makeup and fashion line started there."

"I think I'll stay in Tokyo or maybe go to Shinjuku or Kyoto," Chikara continued,"My parents want me to take over their company so I can basically go anywhere as long as I study business. Maybe I'll go to Korea."

The others processed her ideas as Tony leaned against the nearby Mortal Kombat machine, shaking his head. "After what happened in New York, I don't know if I'd want to go international," He admits.

"Well, you were attacked by a talking robot," Nanami answered,"I'd be kinda scared too, especially since it seems like he just went after you and poor Lucy."

Chikara nodded, drinking her soda as she asked,"Any idea why that robot attacked you? Surely there had to be a reason."

"Nope," Tony casually said,"None at all." When he first admitted it to them, he had been tempted to tell them the truth. But, he didn't want SHIELD to be watching his friends or interrogating them because he told them something classified.

They finished up their day, and each headed back to their own homes. Tony found himself plagued with thoughts as he headed towards his home.

 _There are so many places I could go… But I don't know where…_ He snorted. _Hell, I don't even know what I really want to study._

Tony looked back up at the sky, listening to the cicada calls and watching the birds fly. _Well, at least I still have time to make a choice, I'll figure it out before to long._

He stayed in his thoughts for the rest of the walk home, and when he got to his front gate, he noticed a strange car sitting out front. Shaking it off, he opened the door, and let himself into the house.

Tony took of his shoes at the front of the house, listening quietly as he heard talking. _That isn't Tenshi's voice, but it still sounds familiar?_ He thought.

Getting into his house slippers and walking down the hallway, he entered the living room. "Dad," He said,"I'm home, who's-"

He froze, the bag of stuff he got at the arcade dropping from his hold. His mismatched eyes widened. _Oh my god.._ Sitting on his couch was none other than Phil Coulson. _Why is he here!?_

His father answered for him, turning around and grinning widely. "Jamie! Why didn't you tell me?"

Tony felt his heart start pounding against his chest, blood rushing to his ears. "Tell- Tell.. Tell you what?" He croaked.

His father looked at him like he was being silly. "Are you messing with me?" He teased,"I can't believe you kept it a secret for so long!"

His dad stood up, hugging Tony tightly. "You got a full ride to New York University!" He exclaimed,"I'm so proud of you!"

Tony's eyes widened even more, his gaze turning to look at Coulson's face. It only took Tony a few seconds to realize what was happening.

 _Fury, you motherfucker._


	13. Chapter 13

Tony sincerely hoped that Coulson realized how lucky he was. If his dad wasn't in the room, Tony would have already started strangling the Agent. No, strangling was too merciful. Tony really wanted to throw him out of a window…. Multiple times.

Seeming to notice the anger radiating off of Tony, Coulson stood up and proudly said,"The school is very impressed by all your accomplishments, Jamie. We'd be honored to have you attend our university."

Tony knew it wasn't a choice, SHIELD didn't give choices. "Uh… I…. But…" He stuttered out, quickly looking towards his father. "But it's so far… It'd be so hard to visit you, dad…"

His father's excited face grew a little sad, but he quickly said,"I can't make that decision for you Jamie. It's your future after all."

The teen wanted to scream, and let his father understand that he really didn't have a choice… But if he spoke up, there was no telling what Shield would do to his family.

"But… But…" He stuttered again, desperately trying to find another reason he suddenly couldn't go to a college that supposedly offered him a full scholarship.

Coulson cleared his throat, gaining the family's attention. "Can I speak to Jamie alone for a moment?" He asked,"I feel like we sort of sprung this new opportunity on him, It'd be better to explain it all to him."

His father smiled. "Yes, of course! Jamie, why don't you take him to your room? I'll make some refreshments!"

Tony forced himself to give a wide grin, nodding towards his father before rushing towards his room. He heard Coulson following behind him, and forced himself not to look back because he knew that the fact behind him would get punched.

Once they reached his door, he swung it open and grabbed Coulson, shoving him in, and shutting the door. He heard Merlin give a nervous chirp, but was too angry to focus on it beyond that.

"Opportunity!?" Tony hissed at him," _Opportunity!?_ Stop lying! This is practically kidnapping! Why the fuck won't you leave me alone!?"

Coulson let him rant before casually answering,"It's the easiest way to keep you safe. You're in danger of our enemies."

Tony threw his hands in the air, waving his hands around. " _Whoa!_ I _wonder_ how we could have avoided that happening?!" He sarcastically whispered,"Maybe… I dunno, not kidnapping me in broad fucking daylight!?"

Coulson sighed, remember the sarcasm from the Avengers about the exact same conversation. "That's not the only reason anymore-"

"It could have _never_ been a reason, in fact there could have been no reasons at all if you had just left me alone-"

Coulson ignored his sassy response, and answered,"The footage of you with that robot, and how you managed to reprogram it and fly it to save your sister is all over the place. If a dangerous group wants someone with your skill-set, it would be easy to get you unless you're protected."

"You know what else that footage should tell you?" Tony asked, leaning closer to Coulson. "It should show you that I can obviously handle things my motherfucking self."

The agent sighed, and answered,"Listen, Director Fury ordered us to do this. You know as much as I do that you don't have a choice in this. Don't make this difficult, I don't want to have to get your family involved."

Tony's fists were clenched so hard his knuckles were white, eyes staring at the ground. No, he didn't want that. He didn't want his dads and Lucy to be in danger. _If this is what I have to do…_

He growled, looking back up at Coulson with angry mismatched eyes. He pointed one shaky hand towards him. "First of all, fuck you. Second of all, fine. I'll go with you willingly, as long as my family is safe, and as long as I can see them as much as possible," Tony demanded.

"Of course," Coulson replied,"They'll be protected by us on a much more secret scale, we don't want them being used against you."

Tony sighed, leaning against the back of his door and rubbing his face. He still hated that he was trapped, it at least his family would be safe.

Coulson gave him a look of pity, as if he didn't enjoy the situation either, and then said,"You have one month, and they'll we'll fly you to New York to get your affairs in order at the school and where you'll be staying. Understood?"

Tony nodded again, unsure of what else he could say. Then, an idea came into his mind. He quickly said,"I want to bring my birds."

"Your birds?" Coulson asked, warily turning his eyes towards the two cages.

"Yes, my birds," He said,"I want to bring them with me, and bring everything they have. Toys, cage, everything."

Coulson sighed, but didn't seem surprised. He pulled out his phone and typed down some things. "Alright, I'll make arrangements for your birds to be packed in the plane along with your things-"

"No no," Tony interrupted again,"I want my birds in the cabin with me. They're a little anxious, especially when they can't see me in those kinds of situations."

Coulson looked like he wanted to say something, but he finally sighed (even more frustrated this time), and answered,"I'll arrange it. Remember; one month."

Just as the agent finished speaking, Tony's dad knocked on the door, inviting him and Coulson out for refreshments. They drank their tea as Tony announced his decision to go to New York University, to which his dad was elated.

Despite the smile on Tony's face, and the casual attitude that he forced himself to show, inside he was fuming. _Why does this always happen to me?_

* * *

One Month Later

* * *

It was hard for Tony to say goodbye to his family in the airport, especially since he felt like he was heading back to the battlefield. After he got his bag checked, he gave them all one last tight hug, promised Lucy he would call as much as possible, and then headed up the escalator with his birds in their carrier.

Instantly, he was met by Coulson and two other agents dressed in casual clothing. They had the bags Tony had literally just checked, making the redhead catch on to what they were doing.

"Let me guess, private jet?" He asked, gaining a nod. Tony couldn't help it, he snorted in amusement. "Of course, that'll help us keep a low profile."

Coulson merely chuckled at his words, before leading Tony to the top of the airport, where a very quinjet-like airship sat. _Is this even legal?_ He wondered, and then rolled his eyes. _What am I thinking? Of course it isn't, when did SHIELD follow the rules of any country?_

He sat in the quintet-like airship with his birds, watching through the window as they rose into the air and then took off. As the sight of Tony's home got smaller and smaller, a sadness filled his heart.

He already missed his home, he missed walking around Tokyo, he missed the science club, and he missed his friends… He already wanted to go home…

* * *

Coulson watched the sad teenager for a couple minutes, feeling a bit guilty about what they were doing to him. He sat down next to him, ignoring the two bird's angry noises. "Jamie," He began,"I'm sorry, I don't want to do this either. But Fury decided this was the best course of action.

"He _always_ thinks he's right…" Jamie muttered, still staring out of the window despondently.

The agent grew confused, looking at the teen curiously. _What does he mean always? We've only interacted with him once before…_ The man thought, but shook it off. _He's just sad and anxious, he's just wanted to get his frustration out. It doesn't mean anything._

Still feeling guilty, Coulson calmly said,"Well, at least you'll get to interact with superheroes every day! That'll be fun, right?"

Jamie's eyes widened, and he turned to look at Phil. After several seconds of just staring, he quietly demanded,"What the hell does that mean?"

 _Oh shit, I forgot to tell him about that part…_ The agent realized, and quickly continued,"Well… Y-you'll be staying at the Avengers compound so that they can keep an eye on you, and you can go to school."

There was no outward reaction to Coulson's words, but the tension in the room grew immensely. Then, in a tight voice, Jamie asked,"So you're forcing me into a completely different country, and making the Avengers babysit me? _That's_ your idea of keeping me safe?!"

Coulson didn't have a response to that, so he simply nodded. In return, Jamie groaned and buried his face in his hands, slumping over in his seat.

"I hate all of you," The teen snarled.

Agent Coulson knew that his statement was justified, and (for the sake of his health) didn't try to convince him otherwise for the rest of the flight.

* * *

Tony didn't know how to react when the Avengers Compound came into view, so many emotions rose up at once. Anger, sadness, nostalgia, and fear all mixed up in one giant lump in his throat.

When they landed and the door opened, Tony saw… Oh god… They were all there. All the Avengers and… Rage filled his heart again as he saw Nick Fury casually standing there.

One of the shield agents reached for the bird carrier, and Tony quickly slapped their hands away. He grabbed the carrier, holding it protectively towards his chest and walking out with Coulson on his heels.

Tony's heart was pounding against his chest, but he forced himself to stay strong. _I can't let them see how scared I am._

Before any of them could speak, Tony casually asked,"So is this my prison for the next few years? I have to say, I was expecting something better."

Fury frowned, already seeming irritated. "Watch yourself, McCintyre, an underground shield facility is still an option," He snarled.

Tony put a goofy grin on his face, and cheerfully replied,"You know what else was an option? Leaving me alone!"

"I'm not arguing with a kid," Fury declared, waving his hand towards him. "I was just here to make sure you got here alright. Your luggage is in your room." He then turned to look at Steve. "He's your problem now."

Fury then turned and left, the agents following after him. Much to Tony's dismay, Coulson also followed after Fury… Leaving him alone… Alone with the Avengers… The people he never wanted to see again for as long as he lived.

Unfortunately, Steve was the one to speak first. "Hello Jamie, I'm sure you remember me from last time you were in New York," He said, and Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes. As if I'd forget, as if anyone would forget. _Who does he think I am? Dory?_

But that wasn't the main thing that bothered the teen. Hearing Steve call him by his given name irked Tony, it wasn't what he was used to anymore. He narrowed his mismatched eyes, firmly saying,"I didn't give you permission to use my given name."

Steve looked surprised and confused by what the redhead said, so much so that he didn't speak for a few moments. Then, he nervously said,"But.. You aren't.. You aren't Japanese.."

"Cap, he was _born_ there," Clint helpfully pointed out,"The culture he grew up with is much much different than ours."

Tony was surprised that Clint understood his plight, and gave the man a slight bow of appreciation before turning his angry eyes back to Steve. "Exactly, _Rogers_ ," He emphasized,"So call me McCintyre."

Steve nodded again, nervously saying,"Of course, sorry. Well, follow us. We'll show you around and then take you to your room. I'm sure you're tired after your trip."

"The only thing I'm tired of is your boss's bullshit," Tony casually added, hearing what sounded like Clint again holding in a laugh, but followed after the super soldier all the same. "But can we just skip the fancy tour for now? It's been a rough day.."

Bruce answered before Steve could, and gently said,"Of course, McCintyre. I'll take you to your room."

Tony suddenly felt his heart crumbling as he looked at Bruce. His hair was messy again, with more gray hairs than last time… But it was still his Science Bro. _Oh god… Brucie Bear I miss you so much sometimes, you have no idea.._

When the doors slid open, Tony quickly focused on taking off his shoes at the front like he always did at home, ignoring the curious glances it got him. He heard Bruce shoo the others away, and when he walked farther in only the scientist was waiting for him. He couldn't stop the sigh of relief that escaped his mouth, Tony didn't know if he had the patience to deal with them all.

Bruce then led Tony through the hallway and to the large room in the very middle. Inside, Tony saw all his luggage and the already assembled bird cages, as well as a simple full sized bed. He frowned, not sure how to feel about the situation.

"Thank you," Tony said, looking back to Bruce without a smile. He couldn't bring himself to smile, his whole life had been turned upside down all over again and he didn't know how to handle it.

Bruce nodded, and said,"If you don't want to go to dinner, I'll bring you some. Oh, and if you ever need somewhere to escape to, my laboratory is always open. I don't extend that offer to many people."

Tony made himself smile, bowing respectfully. "Thank you, I really appreciate it, Banner," He responded,"And don't worry about the food, I think I just want to sleep off the jet lag."

Bruce smiled back, and replied,"Alright, I'll let you skip food just this once, but don't expect that to happen often. I'm a pretty big stickler on health."

 _Bruce, believe me, I know…_ Tony thought, his eyes stinging with tears that were desperate to shed. _I know so much more than you think, but I can never tell you…_

Tony finally managed and then turned around and give a nod of understanding; He couldn't speak, if he did he knew crying would begin quickly. Thankfully, Bruce didn't notice this and merely smiled before he left, shutting the door behind him.

Tony waited a few moments before he grabbed the plain gray comforter off the bed, yanking it off and then placing the bird carrier on the sheet, opening the door for them. He then pulled the blanket to the corner farthest from the door, slid down to the ground, and wrapped himself in it.

 _I want to go home… I want to be watching bad game shows with dad and Lucy, I want to be surprising Tenshi with dinner when he gets home… I don't want to be here…_

Tony's eyes began to blur, tears falling down his cheeks. He pulled the blanket over his head, curled further inro himself, and then let the floodgates open.

* * *

Bruce listeners to the quiet sobbing with his own sadness. He didn't know who to be angrier at; Fury or Steve. On one hand, Fury is what started the drama in the first place… But Steve is the one that suggested the college lie. Hulk didn't care, he wanted to small all of them for hurting 'new friend's' feelings.

Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, the scientist quickly went back to the kitchen where Clint was whipping up what looked like macaroni and cheese.

Steve, who had been quietly talking with Bucky, quickly got to his feet and went over to Bruce. "How is he doing? Is he adjusting?" He questioned.

"Steve, you need to give him time," Bruce firmly said,"He got here not even ten minutes ago, and it's a big change for him. He won't be eating dinner today either, he said he just wanted to sleep."

Natasha caught on to his words. "You think he's lying?" She asked the scientist.

"No, I'm sure he's tired," Bruce assured,"But I know he wasn't telling me everything. When I left, and he thought I wasn't there, he started crying."

Scott frowned at this, obviously not happy that the kid was feeling so twirling his spoon between his fingers. "I _told_ you this was a bad idea, Steve..." He declared.

Steve turned towards the other man, frustrated as he demanded,"Well did you have a better idea? SHIELD was going to get involved with him one way or another!"

"That doesn't make it okay to rip him away from everything that was familiar to him," Thor stated,"I understand the young one's plight, I'm sure he feels the same way I did when I was banished to Earth… Lost and confused."

Steve frowned a bit, regret filling his eyes before he quickly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but the damage is done. Fury won't let us go back on this, so we'll just have to make the best of having him here," He stubbornly replied.

"Don't treat it like a chore when it was your idea in the first place," Bruce hissed angrily,"He's here for the foreseeable four years, so you better not treat it like an assignment. He's only eighteen, this isn't at all fair to him! He didn't ask to be imprisoned here! Don't make it worse!"

Wanda watched the interaction for a while, and then quietly spoke up. "I think… Maybe we could just act like he's a new recruit? I mean, he's going to learn all about us anyways, he's practically one already,"

"Wanda's right," Natasha said, going quiet for a few more seconds before whispering,"Actually… He kind of reminds me of Tony…"

A somber tone fell over the room, nobody spoke for what felt like hours as they remembered the death of their friend. He died in Steve's arms, but he was smiling, smiling as if he knew that there would be no more Titan to worry about…

Clint then laughed. "You know, now that you mention it… I see it too," He admitted,"He's kind of a smartass, and craaaazy smart. I saw his grades when Phil was still scouting him, I'm pretty sure he would have gotten a full ride to New York University even if SHIELD wasn't involved."

Bruce suddenly found that he felt no need to try and hold back the Hulk, his counterpart was as saddened as he was. _Tony… I miss you every day… We all do._

He then remembered when he met Tony the first day, how differently Tony treated him compared to the others, and quickly perked up. He then declared,"You know what else Tony would want? He'd want us to help Jamie feel welcome, just like how he did with the Avengers Tower."

"You're right," Steve admitted, nostalgia mixed with sadness in his eyes. "Okay. Tomorrow, we'll start things off better! We're going to make this work!"

The rest of the Avengers nodded, feeling a little more determined about their new mission with Jamie as they went back to their dinner.

But… At the same time, a sadness lingered in the air… Along with memories of the hero that they lost all those years ago.


	14. Chapter 14

Waking up was a disappointing thing for Tony. He expected to awaken in his room with his birds, and then hop downstairs to where his little sister and parents would be waiting so they could all eat breakfast together. It was a happy tradition he participated in every single day, and he wouldn't change it for anything.

Instead, his mismatched eyes opened and he found himself in the barren, empty room inside of the Avengers compound. He instantly let out a saddened sigh, pulling the comforter back over him again.

Staring at the darkness under his blanket, he muttered,"I don't want to go out there… I don't want to see them again…"

But he knew it was inevitable; The more he waited, the more likely it was they were going to invade his only safe space in this place. Grumbling, Tony threw the covers back and got to his feet, stretching out his long limbs and then running his fingers through his hair.

He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday, so he quickly changed into a better outfit and then fixed up his hair, which had been completely flattened on one side.

Then Tony went over to the bird cages, and saw both Merlin and Archie looking at him with worried faces. He sighed, gently running a finger down their chests. "I'm sorry, you guys, I know this place is new and scary… But I didn't want to leave without you," He whispered.

Merlin clicked his beak, and then nibbled gently on Tony's finger and Archie quickly maneuvered onto his shoulder, preening his hair.

Their presence was comforting to him, they were the only things from his true home that he had with him. Making up his mind pretty quick, Tony brought Merlin onto his arm as well and slowly opened the door.

Looking around, he saw that the sun was barely rising and the hallways seemed empty. He pushed the door open farther and crept down the hallway, towards the kitchen.

To Tony's relief, the kitchen was empty. He placed the birds on the back of a chair, and looked around in the cupboards blindly; He didn't remember where anything was. Anger quickly burned through him. I shouldn't have to remember! I shouldn't BE here!

"If I may interject, Mister McCintyre," A familiar AI voice bounced through the room,"If you wish to have food based on your country's cuisine you will find a rice cooker in the bottom right cupboard."

The teen quickly forced back the tears that tried to come up as he thought about how much he had missed that voice. Even if he didn't miss his old life terribly, he still loved all the creations he made.

"Are you alright?" Friday's voice asked again, making Tony _also_ remember that his AI has cameras connected to the kitchen.

He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes, quickly responding,"Yes, I am. I'm fine. Thank you, Friday."

Friday went silent for a moment. "Oh," She finally spoke up,"You already were warned about me?"

Tony's eyes widened a bit and his heart skipped several beats as he realized what he just did. "Uh- Um… Y-yeah!" He quickly said, practically shoving himself by the cupboard she mentioned to hide his face. "Uh… That guy… What's his name? Mr. Banner! He told me!"

"I see…" Friday answered, and Tony couldn't tell if her tone was suspicious or not. Thankfully, she changed the subject. "Well, I am relieved he warned you, as we have had many dangerous reactions from people hearing me speak for the first time."

Tony began to clean the rice of starch and set up the rice cooker as he said,"I guess some people just aren't prepared for the awesomeness that is Friday, huh?"

"I suppose not," Friday replied, an amused tone creeping into her voice as he kept working. The AI found herself feeling nostalgic, the young man teased and talked with her so casually, as if they had been friends for years. He reminded her of her long-dead creator, and that instantly put Jamie as a favorite in her book.

About fifteen minutes later, Tony had managed to cook himself up some steamed rice and a delicious omelet that gave him a little reminder of home. It still didn't taste the same… But Tony knew that was mainly because he was sitting at the bar counter in the stupid Avengers compound and not his true home.

He also found an apple, which he cut up and gave the freshly sliced pieces to the two birds he cared for so dearly.

"I thought you'd like to know that Captain Rogers and a few others have woken up and are heading to the kitchen," Friday's helpful voice interjected.

Tony sighed, rubbing his temples and groaning as he tried to prepare for seeing people he didn't want to all over again, and kindly said,"Thank you for letting me know, Friday."

Too soon for Tony's liking, Steve came around the corner. He looked surprised to see the teen already awake, and at the sight of the discarded cooking tools that were now in the sink. "Oh," He began,"You're up _and_ you made yourself breakfast? You know, we would have done that for you. You're a guest, after all-"

"I'm not your _guest_ ," Tony spat the last word back like it was poisonous. "I'm a glorified prisoner, and it's not much deeper than that."

Steve's face easily displayed the hurt he felt from that comment, making him quickly turn around and start making his own breakfast. Tony didn't care that he hurt the man's feelings, they had ripped away everything he held dear… Again.

They were soon joined by the other Avengers and they quickly tried to interact with Tony. He wasn't a fool, he knew they were trying to make the situation seem less like a kidnapping and get him to feel better about it. In retaliation, he gave the shortest and most sarcastic answers possible.

A couple of them realized that he was rejecting their advances and tried to push harder, like Steve, but others seemed to realize just as much as Tony did how bullshit the entire situation was and didn't even try to push him into a conversation.

"Good morning, Mr. McCintyre," Coulson said as soon as he showed up,"It's good to see that you're up so early, since today is going to be a busy day for you."

Tony spun around on his stool, narrowing his mismatched eyes at the man. "Oh, are we kidnapping another kid?" He asked,"Want me to make the ransom notes? If you have some magazines I'll be able to really easily, you know."

Coulson sighed in exasperation, motioning to the waiting car outside. "Your orientation is today for New York University," He explained,"If we don't get going, you will be late."

"Heaven forbid!" Tony dramatically responded, and as slowly as he could put his dishes in the sink and took his birds back to his room. He returned to Coulson. "Let's hurry! Wouldn't want to miss another chance for you to make decisions about my life without my consent, would we?"

Clint nearly choked on his drink, Natasha had a proud smirk, Bucky chuckled under his breath, and Bruce fondly rolled his eyes, but Steve seemed little annoyed by the young teen's blatant lack of respect towards an official.

Coulson waved off Steve before the man could lecture him, and simply turned and walked out to the car. Tony followed after him until he reached the doorway, then he whipped around and waved at the group.

"Bye bye, captors!" He cheerfully said,"See you all later!"

* * *

The orientation was as boring as Tony expected it to be, but that was probably because he had been to college once before already in his life.

 _Well, not really this life._ He told himself during one of the informational sessions. _The other part of your long, long life._ He sighed and slumped a bit in his seat. _I hope after I die in this body I don't switch into another human one, I'd much rather prefer to be a duck or something._

When Tony went to register for his classes, he chose exactly what he would have if he had been able to stay at home for college. He was still planning on going back to Japan once he was finished the four year 'scholarship' that Shield has so graciously given him. He had plans, he couldn't let this situation end those plans.

With all his papers in place, Tony decided to keep Coulson waiting and explore the campus; even though he had done lectures there before, he'd never gotten the chance to see much other than that.

 _And you still won't get to._ A little voice reminded him. _You're a prisoner in the Avengers compound, and that's how it's gonna be for the next few years._

Tony felt saddened and completely by the thought, it seemed like his life just wasn't his to control. Then, an idea popped into his head. It was stupid, he probably wouldn't get away with it, but that didn't stop him before.

He stopped his exploration and turned, preparing to jog back to where he had picked his classes, but he immediately crashed into someone behind him. He heard a grunt of pain, and they both fell to the ground and a bunch of papers slid everywhere.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Tony quickly said, grabbing the papers to try and collect them. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No, no, it's okay! I wasn't either!" A voice responded, and Tony froze. He knew that voice, he remembered every single thing that painfully familiar voice had ever sad to him. Quickly turning his eyes up, Tony's heart skipped several beats as he saw it was none other than...

"Peter Parker..." He whispered, catching the young man off guard.

Peter raised his eyebrows, seeming perplexed by the two words that Tony uttered. "Oh… Do I- Um… Do I know you?" He asked.

Tony's eyes widened and he quickly shook himself out of his stupor. "Uh… No, no you don't know me," He quickly stuttered,"I just uh… I heard your name from someone else on campus. I'm Jamie McCintyre."

The young man didn't seem to believe him, but he changed the subject. "You must be one of the freshman, right?" He asked, gaining a nod in response. "Cool! I'm a sophomore here, studying engineering. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm- I'm.. A double major," Tony stuttered back, fighting off the urge to hug the young man tight and never let go. "Engineering and Biomedical, But I may change later. I'm still not sure."

Peter smiled wider. "Well, either way that's pretty cool!" He said, standing up straight with all his papers in his hand. "So, where were you headed? I'll walk with you, if you want."

At first he was going to say no, but then he recalled all the times they spent together when he was in his original body. Out of everyone in the world that he had left behind since his death, Tony had missed Peter the most.

"Back to administration area," Tony said, getting to his feet as well. "And I wouldn't mind your company at all."

* * *

Once they were back in Coulson's car, Tony stayed quiet. He knew that Fury would know instantly what he did, and Tony was preparing for the battle he knew he was about to fight.

"So, what did you think of the school?" Coulson's voice caught Tony off guard, making him blink confusedly at the older man. He wasn't used to Coulson being this talkative, at least not since he'd been forced to come back.

After shifting awkwardly in his seat, Tony replied,"Well, it's nice. I think I'll be able to deal with being a prisoner in this country."

Coulson sighed. "You know, it doesn't matter how much you complain and sass me, there's nothing I can do about it, Fury made this decision. Orders are orders, I'm sorry." He said in a fatherly tone.

Tony leaned back in his seat and shrugged. "You think I don't know that?" He asked,"That doesn't mean I'm gonna make it easy for you. When have I ever?"

The agent's body tensed the slightest bit, turning his narrowed eyes to look at Tony in the rearview mirror. The young man instantly realized what he had done, so he quickly continued,"I-I didn't make it easy for my teacher or my brother to fuck with me, I didn't stand down when those robots took me into the air and nearly killed my sister either."

"But we aren't the bad guys, Jamie," Coulson implored,"We only want what's best for you, considering the target on your back."

Tony snorted at that, crossing his arms and curling against the seat. "Who put the target there in the first place?" He muttered under his breath, tapping his fingers against his arm.

He heard Coulson sigh again, but he didn't try and look to see if the man was watching him or not. He was done with that conversation, since he knew that the tougher talk would happen very soon…

In fact, if Tony has to guess, it would probably happen the second he walked into the Avengers compound.

* * *

"What did you do!? What the fuck did you do!?"

Sure enough, when Tony and Coulson walked back through the front door of the compound and were met with a group of wide eyed Avengers trying to act casual and a practically seething Nick Fury.

Tony, still holding his backpack filled with things from orientation, casually waved. "Good to see you too, Fury. I'm doing good, thanks for asking, how are you?" He happily asked.

Fury blinked his one eye several times, seemingly surprised that Tony wasn't affected by his anger. But he quickly grew enraged again and stormed up to the young man, pointing at him. "Don't fuck with me kid, what the ruck were you doing? Are you trying to get arrested?!" He snapped.

"What are you talking about, sir?" Tony innocently asked, fluttering his eyelashes. "I was only getting ready to go to college, isn't that what you told me to do?"

The man growled even more, his finger now poking Tony's chest. "When I said that, I meant to go to orientation, not sign yourself up for student housing!" He yelled,"You are supposed to stay here, that was the deal!"

"It's not a deal!" Tony finally snapped back. "None of this is a deal! By _definition,_ a deal is an agreement entered into by two or more parties for their mutual benefit! What am I getting out of this!?"

"You're not getting arrested and interrogated for your suspicious behavior or kidnapped by villains, that's what!" Fury snapped,"And that should be good enough for you!"

Tony straightened himself up completely, using the two inches of height he had over Fury to his advantage. "That's not a benefit! And I haven't done anything wrong! I wouldn't even be in this situation in the beginning if you hadn't kidnapped me at the fucking airport!" He argued back.

He saw Fury grind his teeth, so he continued,"And besides, do you really think that keeping me here is smart?! It's just gonna put a bigger target on me! I don't care how discreet you assholes claim to be, improple probably have already seen me with Agent or even coming here. I thought the whole point of this was that I don't get in danger?"

Tony threw his hands into the air and began to angrily pace. "I already know you were watching me from a distance before, why couldn't you just keep doing that?! I'll even come back here here on weekends if that pleases your highness," He promised, turning back to them. "But please, you know my past, I know you've looked it up. You know what shit I've been through. Just… Just let me have this. _Please_ , for once in my life, let me be like the other college students."

For what felt like hours, nobody said anything. Fury stared at him with no expression, but Tony could see the wheels turning inside of him. Then, the man angrily sighed and slammed his hand against the nearby wall.

He rubbed his hands over his face, muttering things that not even the enhanced superheroes could make out. "Fine!" He finally yelled, turning back to Tony. "You can stay in the student housing. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

Tony smiled widely, and quickly nodded. "Thank you, sir!" He happily exclaimed,"Thank you for giving me the freedom I should have had in the first place!"

He scurried off, ignoring the growl that Fury made in response to his final jab, and went back to his room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Late that evening, the Avengers were having their weekly movie night, but many of them found that they couldn't focus. Most of them had never seen someone, especially a kid, stand up to Fury like that.

"I gotta admit, I'm impressed," Scott declared,"It takes balls to do that, and he even managed to do it without Coulson knowing."

Clint chuckled, resting his feet on the coffee table. "You know, if anything I think the kid deserves to do the student housing after getting under Fury's skin like that. It takes guts, kinda reminds me of Tony." He said.

Natasha let a small smile come onto her face. "Yeah, Tony was always pretty good at that," She admitted,"He was one of the only people who could get to Fury that way. I think having the kid around, even if it's just on the weekends, will be interesting."

Steve frowned a little bit at that, looking at Bucky and Sam as he mentioned,"I just don't like his blatant disrespect for the authority figures in his life. I mean, we're trying to help him!"

"Steve, stop," Bucky firmly said,"Authority isn't always right, and I'm on Jamie's side. The kid's right, this wouldn't have been a situation if Fury left him alone. We saw how he took down that robot, I think he can take pretty good care of himself."

The super soldier frowned, sitting back down and not attempting to argue. The others continued their conversation, and he was willing to listen instead of fight.

Bruce was the next one to speak up. "I read his file," He quietly said,"The poor child… He was being blackmailed and assaulted by a teacher, bullied, and tried to commit suicide. I guess after that didn't work, he completely switched. He stopped the bullies, got evidence from his teacher to get him arrested, and fought the Yakuza and his brother."

"He's a strong child," Thor declared,"At a young age, he managed to overcome all those hardships. I can see why he isn't scared of Fury. He has already been through too much at his young age."

Bruce nodded, and continued,"Which is exactly why we need to support him. His life was finally peaceful and then we messed it up. It isn't fair to be mad at him for lashing out at us."

"I agree," Natasha said, having been impressed with Jamie from the moment she saw the child rewire a robot in midair. "The kid has guts, and he also has skill to back it up. Those skills should be encouraged, not beaten down because Shield is suspicious of him."

Out of nowhere, Sam started to chuckle. "Maybe it's just because he acts so much like Stark," He suggested,"The kid is crazy smart, and he stood up to pretty much everyone that's tried to fuck with him. Tony was always the same, even with Thanos."

The mood, despite the comedic movie still playing, became somber as they thought about their lost teammate. Even those who didn't know him very well found themselves feeling saddened.

Steve tried to turn his attention back to the movie, it seemed that all he could think of was his lost friend. They had only just reunited, and then Steve lost Tony again… For good this time.

 _Oh, Tony…_ He mourned silently. _What I wouldn't do to have you with us again…_

* * *

It was a couple days later that moving day arrived. Coulson drove Tony to the school again, handing him his bags of stuff as well as a goodie bag a little ways away from the actual entrance.

"I got you some things to help you get around the city better, like a pass for the subways and the number for the compound and my own number," He explained,"If you need anything, or if there's an emergency, don't be afraid to call."

Tony nodded, taking the bags from him. "Make sure to take good care of my birds, okay? All you need to do is feed them, I can do the rest when I'm with them," He promised.

Coulson made a noise of agreement and then headed back to the car, checking to make sure they had everything and then climbing in. Rolling down his window, he said,"Have a good first week, kid. I'll see you Friday evening."

Without another word, the agent drove away. Tony waited until he was out of sight before he turned towards the campus.

After finding his residence on campus, Tong went to the manager of the hall and got his key.

"Oh, you're the exchange student!" The older woman said as she got his key, looking at him with a wide smile.

Tony blushed a bit and forced himself to bite back the desire he had to say _'unwillingly an exchange student'_ and instead replied,"Yeah! All the way from Japan!"

"Really?" She said curiously,"I never would have guessed."

The young man chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "Most people wouldn't," He said,"I don't exactly look like I'm from East Asia."

She laughed a bit at her joke and then finally got his key and reached over her counter, dropping it into his waiting hand.

"Just letting you know, since all the freshman dorms are filled, your two roommates are upper class students," She explained,"But they are both really nice kids, so I'm sure you'll all get along well!"

Tony thanked her again and then hurried upstairs to his dorm, dodging a few other people and then finally finding his room. _A113…_ He read, taking a deep breath and pulling the door open.

Sure enough, there were two others already in there, and Tony quickly said,"I-I'm Jamie McCintyre, I'll be your roommate this year."

"Dude, I heard about you! You're that exchange student! Cool to finally meet you!" A somehow familiar voice said, coming into Tony's view quickly. "I'm Ned Leeds, and this is my friend-"

"Peter Parker," The familiar face introduced again,"But, we already met the other day,"

Tony smiled at him, placing his bags down and crossing his arms. "Yeah, we did," He said,"It's good to see you again, too."

Peter then grinned widely. "It's so cool that we're roommates! Now we can get to know each other!" He froze, a blush coming onto his face. Oh… Uh, that probably sounds weird.."

Ned chuckled at his friend. "Dude! You sound like you're trying to ask him out on a date or something!" He teased,"Don't make MJ jealous!"

Peter quickly turned to try and stop Ned's jokes, and Tony stayed where he was. His mismatched eyes stared at the floor, a tiny smile on his face. Despite the stress that he had gone through to get to this point, he found that he was actually pretty happy about the roommate situation.

He looked back up at the young man who he had thought of as his son, a his smile becoming a little wider as his heart swelled with affection.

 _Looks like you're still stuck with me, kid, I'm still here with you, even if you don't know that yourself._


End file.
